Gov. Hochul facing pushback over removal of Palestinian Studies professor job listing at CUNY
The planned hiring of the professor at CUNY's Hunter College on the Upper East Side became a flashpoint this week after the New York Post ran a story condemning the job listing, prompting the governor to intervene.
Pro-Palestinian protesters had planned to confront the governor Thursday during a planned appearance at CUNY's City College in Harlem, but it was canceled over safety concerns. At nearby Barnard College Wednesday evening, protesters injured a school employee during a brief takeover of a campus building.
In a forceful letter to Hochul and CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, the Professional Staff Congress raised concerns about the governor's involvement — and its implications for academic freedom.
'We oppose antisemitism and all forms of hate, but this move is counterproductive,' wrote James Davis, president of the PSC, in the memo released Wednesday evening. 'It is an overreach of authority to rule an entire area of academic study out of bounds.'
Davis pointed to turmoil even within his own union over the war in Gaza — but suggested the solution would involve more education, not less. This year, the PSC both passed, then promptly rescinded, a resolution to divest from Israel.
The union head likened Hochul shying away from divisive concepts to 'something devised in Florida,' where the governor there has tried to restrict teaching about race and gender,
'What's needed are inclusive ways of teaching, not canceling concepts and areas of study,' the letter continued.
The governor's office deferred to CUNY for comment on the protest, but confirmed the job listing has been removed from their website. It was not immediately clear if the job would be reposted.
'There is no class that is being canceled or pulled,' said Kara Fesolovich, a spokeswoman for Hochul.
Meanwhile, a separate group of protesters — unaffiliated with the union — planned to confront Hochul on Thursday afternoon at City College, where she was scheduled to make a workforce-related announcement.
Spokesmen for the event and for CUNY confirmed it was called off minutes after it was supposed to begin, which was also supposed to include Rep. Adriano Espaillat, former Congressman Charles Rangel and the CUNY chancellor.
'Due to safety concerns, we made the decision to postpone today's event,' CCNY said in a statement. 'We are very proud of the partnership between the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and City College's Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative, and we look forward to rescheduling this event soon.
On social media, protesters had put out an 'urgent call to action,' calling the governor a 'fascist' whose intervention will 'silence critical scholarship.'
'Hochul and every politician enabling the suppression of Palestinian voices should know they will be confronted wherever they go,' read posts on X and Instagram, by a network of student groups called CUNY4Palestine.
Matos Rodriguez, the CUNY chancellor, and chairman of the CUNY Board of Trustees William Thompson have backed Hochul's decision to pull the Hunter College job description.
'We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate,' read a statement on Tuesday, 'and strongly agree with Gov. Hochul's direction to remove this posting, which we have ensured Hunter College has since done.'
'CUNY will continue working with the governor and other stakeholders to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
23 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel's growing frustration over the war in Gaza explodes in nationwide protests
JERUSALEM — Israeli police blasted crowds with water cannons and made dozens of arrests Sunday as thousands of protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in the Gaza Strip aimed to shut down the country with a one-day strike that blocked roads and closed businesses. Groups representing families of hostages organized the demonstrations as frustration grows in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza's most populated areas, which many fear could further endanger the remaining hostages. Fifty hostages remain, and 20 of them are believed to still be alive. 'We don't win a war over the bodies of hostages,' protesters chanted in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war. Even some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs now call for a deal to end the fighting. Protesters gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians' homes, military headquarters and on major highways. They blocked lanes and lighted bonfires. Some restaurants and theaters closed in solidarity. Police said they arrested 38 people. 'The only way to bring [hostages] back is through a deal, all at once, without games,' former hostage Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, is still being held by Hamas. One protester carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza. Such images were once rare at Israeli demonstrations but now appear more often as outrage grows over the hunger crisis there after more than 250 malnutrition-related deaths, including more than 100 children. An end to the conflict does not seem near. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within his coalition. 'Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas' position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of Oct. 7 will be repeated,' Netanyahu said, referencing the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and sparked the war. The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released hostages earlier this year, far-right members of his Cabinet threatened to topple Netanyahu's government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday called the demonstrations 'a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas' hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future.' The new offensive would require the call-up of thousands of reservists, another concern for many Israelis. Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers on Sunday, including nine awaiting United Nations aid trucks close to the Morag corridor. Hamza Asfour said he was just north of the corridor awaiting a convoy when Israeli snipers fired, first to disperse the crowds, then from tanks hundreds of yards away. He saw two people with gunshot wounds. 'It's either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation,' he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the Israeli-backed and U.S.-supported distribution points that have become the main source of aid since they opened in May, said there was no gunfire 'at or near' its sites, which are in military-controlled areas. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions. Israel's air and ground war has displaced most of Gaza's population and killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says about half were women and children. Two children and five adults died of malnutrition-related causes Sunday, according to the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organizations say the flow is far below what is needed. It is not clear when Israel's military will begin the new offensive in crowded Gaza City, Muwasi and the 'central camps' of Gaza, as Netanyahu describes them. The military body that coordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, this weekend noted plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones to southern Gaza 'for their protection.' Designated 'safe zones,' however, also have been bombed during the war. War-weary Palestinians on Sunday insisted that they won't leave, arguing that there is 'no safe place' in Gaza. 'There are no humanitarian zones at all,' said Raghda Abu Dhaher, who said she has been displaced 10 times during the war and now shelters in a school in western Gaza City. Mohamed Ahmed also insisted that he won't move south. 'Here is bombing and there is bombing,' he said. Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital of Sanaa on Sunday, escalating strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who since the war in Gaza began have fired missiles at Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah Television said the strikes targeted a power plant in the southern district of Sanhan, sparking a fire and knocking it out of service. Israel's military said the strikes were launched in response to missiles and drones aimed at Israel. While some projectiles have breached its missile defenses — notably during its 12-day war with Iran in June — Israel has intercepted the vast majority of missiles launched from Yemen. Its military later Sunday said it had intercepted another. Metz, Melzer and Magdy write for the Associated Press and reported from Jerusalem; Nahariya, Israel; and Cairo, respectively. AP writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two Decades of Socialist Rule May End as Bolivians Start Voting
(Bloomberg) -- Bolivians are voting in presidential and congressional elections that may end years of socialist rule and herald warmer relations with Washington. The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider Festivals and Parades Are Canceled Amid US Immigration Anxiety A Photographer's Pipe Dream: Capturing New York's Vast Water System Princeton Plans New Budget Cuts as Pressure From Trump Builds A London Apartment Tower With Echoes of Victorian Rail and Ancient Rome The election takes place amid unrest, shortages and the steepest inflation in more than three decades. The economic crisis has undermined support for the ruling MAS party, which has held power almost without interruption since 2006. Two pro-business candidates are battling for the upper hand in a field of eight presidential aspirants. Samuel Doria Medina made a fortune in cement, then invested in fast food chains such as Burger King and Subway. Jorge Tuto Quiroga served as president in 2001-2002 when President Hugo Bánzer Suárez stepped down due to ill health. Both candidates say they would cut spending and seek international loans to inject capital into the economy. Both also would seek foreign investment in oil and gas exploration and in lithium production — Bolivia is home to the world's largest deposits of the metal. The highest-profile leftist candidate is former senate chief Andrónico Rodríguez. A socialist, Rodríguez has distanced himself from both the current president, Luis Arce, and former President Evo Morales, whose feud split the ruling party. Arce opted not to run for a second term. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and preliminary results are expected Sunday evening. Under Bolivian election rules, a candidate can win in the first round with just 40% of the vote, provided there's a margin of more than ten percentage points over the runner-up. If no one wins in the first round, there'll be a runoff on Oct. 19. The new president will be sworn in on Nov. 8. The economy has been struggling for a decade amid declining natural gas production and dwindling central bank dollar reserves. Bolivia's dollar bonds have been among the top performers in emerging markets this year, on optimism that the election will herald a government able to unlock international loans and implement economic reforms. Under Morales and Arce, Bolivia had close links with Venezuela, Nicaragua, Russia and China but often had sour relations with Washington. What Declining Cardboard Box Sales Tell Us About the US Economy Americans Are Getting Priced Out of Homeownership at Record Rates How Syrian Immigrants Are Boosting Germany's Economy Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump's Economic Plan Dubai's Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Politico
5 hours ago
- Politico
Russia is quietly churning out fake content posing as US news
McKenzie Sadeghi, AI and foreign influence editor at NewsGuard, said in an interview that since early 2024, the group has been publishing 'pro-Kremlin content en masse in the form of videos' mimicking these organizations. 'If even just one or a few of their fake videos go viral per year, that makes all of the other videos worth it,' she said. While online Russian influence operations have existed for many years, security experts say artificial intelligence is making it harder for people to discern what's real. Storm-1679 developed a distinct technique in 2024 for combining videos with AI-generated audio impersonations of celebrity and expert voices, according to Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center. One high-profile example of this tactic surfaced ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics and included a fake documentary series featuring Netflix's logo and an AI-generated deepfake voice of actor Tom Cruise as the narrator. And in December 2024, the group used these tools to generate fake videos impersonating trusted sources like journalists, professors and law enforcement to sow seeds of distrust toward NATO member countries and Ukraine. 'They are just throwing spaghetti, trying to see what's going to stick on a wall,' said Ivana Stradner, a researcher on Russia at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank. Sadeghi said that 'timing and the news cycle' — events like elections, sporting events or wars — play a big role in Storm-1679's operations. 'It typically tends to surge and launch a wave of fakes around a particular news event,' she said. And while the majority of these videos rarely gain traction and are quickly debunked, the content occasionally takes off. The group was behind a fabricated E! News video in February that claimed the U.S. Agency for International Development paid for celebrities to visit Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
