Conservative plan: Destroy Columbia to get other colleges to comply
Months before Columbia University interim president Katrina Armstrong stepped down, conservative policy circles were buzzing about ways to force elite universities to change.
Critical of college admissions, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and campus protests that he lambasted as pro-Hamas, Max Eden, then a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote an outline that presaged what was to come in the new Trump administration. He singled out Columbia as the top target.
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24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ex-top Shin Bet official to 'Post': Palestinian groups fighting Hamas in Israel's interest
"What are 'criminal groups' when it comes to Hamas-run Gaza?" the official said. Palestinian tribal gangs in Gaza fighting against Hamas are in Israel's interest, former top Shin Bet official Shalom Ben Hanan told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, responding to the controversy about the agency providing weapons to such groups under orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ben Hanan retired in 2022 after 27 years in the agency at the equivalent rank of a major general in charge of a whole division in comparison to IDF ranks, and was only on Netanyahu's short-list in the running for the agency's chief this Spring. The former senior Shin Bet official said, "According to reports, the phenomenon of arming Palestinian tribal gangs to harm Hamas is a positive development - this is saving the lives of our soldiers," in various cases. In other words, if Gazan Palestinians can fight Hamas and push it out of certain areas, IDF soldiers will not need to do that fighting and will be at lower risk of Hamas guerrilla ambushes in those Gazan sectors. He noted that foreign reports have reflected on past potential instances where Israel might have assisted tribal gangs in the Sinai to fight off ISIS terrorists as a potential model for what might be going on now in Gaza. Moreover, he stated that the idea of "tribal gangs rising up against Hamas should be of positive interest to Israel," in its goals and future plans for Gaza. Responding to Yisrael Beytenu party leader's framing of Netanyahu as having sidestepped the cabinet in order to provide weapons to "Gaza criminals," Ben Hanan responded, asking rhetorically, "What are 'criminal groups' in the context of Gaza?" Essentially, Ben Hanan was arguing that many people who might be considered "criminal" by Hamas might not be criminal at all. Alternatively, even if some of the Gazan groups receiving weapons from Israel are, in fact, criminals, they still might be preferable as interlocutors in Gaza if they conclude that their local non-ideological and calculated interests are to forge a stable relationship with Israel – as opposed to Hamas which is religiously and ideologically committed to Israel's destruction. The Shin Bet and IDF intelligence did not deny their involvement in providing weapons to the Gaza tribal gangs, but the Shin Bet did not provide a detailed response, and IDF intelligence did not respond. However, the Jerusalem Post was told by top defense sources, even in early 2024, that there were certain efforts to recruit Gaza tribal gangs to fight against or counter Hamas on both the military and political fronts. It is likely that the Shin Bet originated the idea based on requests from Netanyahu and then defense minister Yoav Gallant to try to find a way to circumvent Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and given that the agency has the most long-term experts on Gaza groups. For a period of weeks, there were hopes in early 2024 that such tribal gangs, unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, could be alternate rulers of Gaza to both of those groups, "the Day After" the war would end. Meanwhile, although there is a history of external spy services like the Mossad and CIA arming foreign groups, the Mossad does not and did not have any security responsibility for Gaza, so it would not be involved in the issue of arming tribal Gaza gangs. Also, late Thursday, sources close to Netanyahu himself proudly admitted his involvement in the issue, signaling they thought Liberman's attack was off-base. Further, some leaks suggested that the weapons given by Israel to these gangs were not Israeli weapons, but Hamas weapons, which Israel had confiscated. These leaks would try to defend against accusations of Israel "funding" these Gazan tribal gangs, since, if true, giving them only Hamas weapons, which were confiscated, does not implicate Israeli funds. In the broader narrative, Liberman is likely laying the ground for his biggest attacks on Netanyahu whenever the next election comes out: Netanyahu paid Qatar to pay Hamas to keep them "deterred," is now paying directly or indirectly for the Palestinians food aid, and provided weapons to dangerous Palestinian gangs in Gaza who will likely at some later point turn their weapons on Israel.
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25 minutes ago
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High court blocks Hamas victims' try to reopen case against Lebanese bank
WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled unanimously that it would not allow relatives of victims and survivors of Hamas attacks from 2001 to 2003 to reopen a case in which they accused a Lebanese bank of providing financial services to Hamas-affiliated clients. The court ruled in BLOM Bank SAL vs. Michal Honickman, in an opinion delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas, that the plaintiffs did not meet the requirements of extraordinary circumstances for reopening the case. When the case was originally tried in 2019, the relatives and victims lost because they failed to prove the bank knowingly took on clients affiliated with Hamas. The victims and relatives then wanted to offer evidence to which they claimed they had access later. They cited as precedent Rule 60(b), which outlines the reasons why a case could be reopened after a judgement has been issued, such as a mistake in the judgement or evidence unavailable to the plaintiffs during their original case. "It is Rule 60(b)'s standard -- and only Rule 60(b0's standard -- that applies when a party seeks relief from final judgement. A party seeking Rule 60(b) relief must always demonstrate 'extraordinary circumstances' justifying relief," the court wrote. Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson delivered a concurring opinion in which she parted from her colleagues, warning that courts should not deny requests to reopen cases simply because the requesting party was given a chance to amend a case while it was ongoing. "In particular, I think the district court was wrong to fault plaintiffs for making a 'deliberate choice' to appeal the dismissal of their complaint in lieu of accepting various pre-dismissal opportunities to cure purported pleading deficiencies." Brown wrote. The victims and families accused the Lebanese bank of aiding and abetting attacks from 2001 to 2003 by providing financial services to Hamas-affiliated clients. In 2019, the families attempted to sue the bank, but the judge dismissed the suit for not providing evidence that the bank knowingly provided financial services to Hamas-affiliated clients. The court even asked the survivors and families' lawyer if they wanted to amend the case, but they declined. They later found evidence they said proves that the bank knowingly engaged with Hamas affiliates, so they went back to court to reopen their case. Their lawyer, Michael Radine, criticized the Supreme Court's decision. Radine said in a statement to UPI that the district court would not allow his clients to retry the case unless they could meet "the erroneous and essentially unmeetable pleading standards raised by the defendant and adopted by the district court." He added that the district court required evidence such as acts or statements from bank employees proving affiliations with Hamas before discovery. "Few plaintiffs will have access to a defendant's internal communications before discovery, which is why the [2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals] tossed that pleading standard as 'too exacting,'" Radine said in the statement. During the original case, the families appealed to the 2nd Circuit and were turned down again, so they returned to the lower courts and asked to retry the case and submit evidence proving that the bank knowingly provided financial services to Hamas-affiliated individuals. They were told their case did not meet the requirement to be reopened, so the plaintiffs appealed that decision to the 2nd Circuit again. "Indeed, today's decision could empower district courts to prevent plaintiffs from amending their complaints whenever the state of the applicable law is unclear," Radine said. BLOM Bank SAL's lawyer Michael Hugh McGinley didn't respond to a request for comment.
40 minutes ago
Can Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, become the next mayor of New York City?
NEW YORK -- Zohran Mamdani has buzz and some momentum in New York City's mayoral race. But can a 33-year-old democratic socialist — or anyone else — beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary? Mamdani picked up a key endorsement Thursday from U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said in a statement that the state lawmaker 'has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack.' The endorsement, made the day after the first Democratic debate of the campaign, is likely to help solidify Mamdani's standing as a liberal darling in the contest, now in its final three weeks. It remains to be seen whether it will help him overcome Cuomo, whose campaign juggernaut has won the backing of some of the cities biggest unions as he attempts a comeback from the sexual harassment scandal that ended his reign as governor in 2021. Mamdani's laser-focus on lowering the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive cities has helped him climb from relative obscurity to become one of the race's leading figures. His criticisms of Israel, socialist label, and relative lack of experience could hurt him, though, with centrists. Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor, was born in Kampala, Uganda, before he and his family moved to New York City when he was 7. He became naturalized as an American citizen a few years after graduating from college, where he co-started his school's first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. His mother, Mira Nair, is an award-winning filmmaker. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University. Zohran Mamdani was elected to the state Assembly in 2020, representing a district in Queens. His most-known legislative accomplishment was pushing through a pilot program that made a handful of city buses free for a year. His mayoral campaign has been full of big promises — free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for people living in rent-regulated apartments, new affordable housing and raising taxes on the wealthy — all packaged in well-produced social media videos. Critics say his hopeful visions get blurry when it comes to detail, and have also questioned the cost and feasibility of his proposals, many of which would need support from the state Legislature and governor. Cuomo, during Wednesday night's debate, took aim at Mamdani's relative inexperience, saying the state Assembly member has a good online presence but actually 'produces nothing,' adding "He's been in government 27 minutes. He's passed three bills. That's all he's done.' Some Jewish voters, an important voting bloc, might be turned off by Mamdani's support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and his use of the term 'genocide' to describe Israel's war on Gaza. Mamdani has also vowed to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last year, saying he had committed war crimes by using starvation as a weapon during Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Pressed during the debate on whether he thought Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani said 'I believe Israel has the right to exist,' but 'as a state with equal rights' for people who aren't Jewish. As the June 24 primary approaches, Mamdani appears aware of another issue he and every other candidate not named Cuomo is having: name recognition. Mamdani, in a recent social media video, noted that "a third of New Yorkers still haven't heard of us," though he framed that as a positive, indicating he still has room to grow. At a recent election rally in Manhattan, Maria Walles, a 54-year-old Bronx voter, said she didn't like Cuomo or Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor who faced federal corruption charges, then decided to skip the Democratic primary and run as an independent after President Donald Trump's Justice Department abandoned that prosecution. But Walles said she wasn't quite sure about the alternative candidates. 'Zo ...," she said, grasping for Mamdani's name when asked about the candidate field. As it turns out, Mamdani was at the rally, which was organized by a tenant advocacy group, and received a standing ovation for his speech. To win, Mamdani will need to expand his support beyond the city's young, progressive crowd to the more moderate voters who have been a critical factor in past elections. In an interview with The Associated Press, Mamdani said if you speak to the people directly about issues they care about, such as the sky-high cost of living, you can successfully build a coalition, regardless of "what we have been told is the politics that can succeed in this city and the ways in which we have been told how to run a campaign and who we actually have to speak to.' 'Often times people try to characterize New York City politics through the lens of political constituencies that they define as hard and fast. And in reality there is no ideological majority in New York City," he said.
