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Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Harvard University President Claudine Gay Resigns Amid Fresh Wave of Plagiarism Allegations

It’s about time she is gone. NBC: Harvard University President Claudine Gay, who has been under intense scrutiny for testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism, as well as allegations of plagiarism in her academic work, will resign. Gay’s six-month tenure is the shortest in the university’s 388-year history, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. She was the first Black person and the second woman to lead the institution (NBC). Christopher Rufo: This is Claudine Gay’s resignation letter. Rather than take responsibility for minimizing antisemitism, committing serial plagiarism, intimidating the free press, and damaging the institution, she calls her critics racist. This is the poison of DEI ideology. Glad she’s gone (X).

Devastation from Japan’s Earthquake Continues with Revised Death Toll, Power Outages

CNN: Scenes of devastation emerged along Japan’s western coast Tuesday as rescuers raced to save residents trapped in the rubble of a 7.5 magnitude quake that triggered multiple aftershocks and killed dozens of people. The quake shook the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, sparking fires and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia. At least 57 people have been killed by the earthquake, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing officials from the Ishikawa prefecture. And five people were killed at Tokyo Haneda airport on Tuesday when a Japan Airlines jet collided with a coast guard plane on its way to provide earthquake relief (CNN). Axios: Electricity is out for more than 30,000 households in Ishikawa and neighboring Niigata Prefecture, while almost 20,000 homes across four prefectures lacked running water, government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said, according to the New York Times. Hayashi added that over 57,300 people were evacuated from their homes to 1,000 different facilities in the affected prefectures (Axios).

Israeli Drone Strike Kills Senior Hamas Leader in Beirut

Daily Mail: An Israeli drone strike on Hamas’ office in Beirut, Lebanon, has killed four members of Hamas including the terror group’s deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri, officials have confirmed. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill al-Arouri, who headed the organization in the West Bank, even before Hamas launched its bloody October 7 attack. Responding to news that he had been killed in tonight’s strike, Israeli officials vowed that all Hamas leaders ‘are doomed to death.’ Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that ‘four people were martyred and a number of others injured when the Hamas office was targeted.’ The building is in Dahiyeh, an area in Beirut’s southern suburbs and a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah (Daily Mail). Financial Times: Israel has for decades carried out targeted assassinations against militant leaders in Europe and the Middle East, including via air strikes, commando raids and spy teams using poison. Israeli leaders have taken pride in the long arm of their security and intelligence services (Financial Times).

Russia Unloads Barrage of Missiles on Ukraine

Wall Street Journal: Russia launched another mass drone-and-missile attack against Ukraine, the latest in a growing campaign to break Ukrainian morale and wear down its air-defense systems. The barrage of 99 missiles early Tuesday morning was the second significant salvo in less than a week, after one of the largest missile attacks of the war on Friday. The heavy bombardments are putting pressure on Ukraine’s stocks of air-defense missiles, which it receives primarily from the West. Ukraine’s air force said 72 of the 99 missiles were shot down, mostly over Kyiv, as were all 35 Iranian-designed Shahed drones. At least four people were killed and more than 90 injured (Wall Street Journal).

Bus Drivers Carrying Illegal Immigrants Exploit Loophole in NYC Mayor Adams’ New Executive Order

Daily Caller: Immigrants exploited a “loophole” in New York City’s latest executive order by arriving at a New Jersey train station before heading over to the city by train, New Jersey officials said. Democrat New York Mayor Eric Adams recently issued an executive order demanding companies busing migrants in to notify the city’s Emergency Management Office at least 32 hours before arrival. The order also requires buses to arrive in the city only on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at a single drop-off site (Daily Caller). National Review: The order is designed to alleviate the migrant crisis in New York City, which saw more than 14,700 new arrivals in the past month and the arrival of 14 migrant-filled charter buses from Texas in a single night. Over the holiday weekend, at least four buses transporting migrants stopped at the Secaucus Junction train station Saturday morning. In response, Secaucus mayor Michael Gonnelli said Adams’ restrictions, which are causing the phenomenon, may be too strict (National Review).

Karine Jean-Pierre Says Taking Illegals to Sanctuary Cities is “Shameful”

Daily Wire: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre complained on Tuesday that it was “shameful” for the governors of border states to transport illegal immigrants to cities and states that have declared themselves “sanctuary” jurisdictions (Daily Wire). End Wokeness: WH Press Secretary: “It is shameful” to send illegal aliens to sanctuary cities (X). Rita Panahi: Shameful to have Democrat voters face the consequences of the policies they supported (X).

House Oversight Committee Looks to Move Forward with Contempt Charges for Hunter Biden

Washington Examiner: The House Oversight Committee will begin moving forward with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena to sit for a deposition last month as part of the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into his father. On Dec. 13, 2023, Hunter Biden was scheduled to sit for a deposition before the committee, but instead of partaking in the interview, Hunter Biden arrived at the Capitol and read a statement to the media outside, openly defying his subpoena. During his statement, he said he would not sit for a closed-door deposition and instead would only testify in a public hearing. This is the first step toward holding him in contempt. Once the resolution advances out of committee, it will then go to a vote of the full House, where it is expected to pass along party lines (Washington Examiner).

Violent, Trans Murderer to Serve Sentence in Female Prison in Oregon

Townhall: A “transgender” biological male who was convicted of murdering two men is serving a 50-year sentence in a women’s prison. The prisoner, Steven Buchanan, who goes by “Susan Monica,” dismembered the bodies of his victims and fed them to pigs on a 20-acre farm he owned in Oregon. Buchanan bought the farm in 1991 and killed two handymen in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, he was reportedly sentenced to a minimum of 50 years behind bars (Townhall). Riley Gaines: What could possibly go wrong housing a violent, mentally ill man with female inmates (X)?

School District in California Pushes Gender Theory Books, Films on Students of All Grades

Daily Wire: A California school district that serves thousands of students from preschool through high school created elaborate lesson plans and resource lists aimed at pushing gender theory and normalizing child transgenderism, according to documents reviewed by The Daily Wire. Hayward Unified School District (HUSD), which is located in California’s Bay Area and serves over 19,000 students from preschool to high school, is directing students to watch films that promote transgenderism and highlight how treatments such as puberty blockers work. The pro-trans lesson plans come amid a broader national uproar over schools pushing gender ideology on children, with some even encouraging so-called “social transitions” among students without parental approval (Daily Wire).

10.

Pro-Democracy Activist Jimmy Lai Pleads “Not Guilty” to Sedition, Collusion Charges in Hong Kong Court

Fox News: Media mogul and Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to three charges of sedition and collusion with foreign countries on Tuesday. Lai, 76, a known opponent of the Chinese Communist Party, was sentenced to 69 months in prison last month on two counts of fraud related to leases for the offices of his now-defunct newspaper, Apple Daily. Lai was initially charged with fraud in December 2019 for allegedly violating the lease terms for office space before he was slapped with additional charges days later under the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces and endangering national security. The court began hearing opening statements from the prosecution on Tuesday in what is expected to be an 80-day trial without a jury (Fox News). Reuters: Prosecutor Anthony Chau told the three high court judges that Lai was “a radical figure” who conspired with others to bring “hatred and stir up opposition” against Hong Kong and Chinese authorities (Reuters).