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Dept. Of Ed: Colleges Botched Gaza Protest Complaints

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
June 18, 2024

Good morning and happy Tuesday. Home video from an Ohio family's 1947 road trip to California has been uploaded to YouTube, providing a stunning, in-color look at post-World War II America. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

  • Hurricane season: First warning

  • South China Sea: Another dustup

  • Virginia: GOP primary battle

  • Merck: Vaccine approval

  • Celtics: Win 18th NBA title

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Collegiate findings

A federal agency found two universities did not adequately investigate complaints from on-campus protests of the war in Gaza.

  • The news: U.S. Department of Education probes found the City University of New York and University of Michigan did not properly address allegations of antisemitic and anti-Palestinian harassment. Dozens of similar investigations have been launched around the country since Hamas attacked Israel last Oct. 7; these are the first ones to be concluded.

  • The findings: Michigan failed to meet Title VI requirements in 75 incidents where individuals were targeted for Muslim, Palestinian or Jewish ancestry, according to the DOE's Office of Civil Rights. There were nine incidents found at CUNY. Michigan has agreed to be monitored by the office through 2026 and to take corrective measures; CUNY will reopen or initiate investigations into the incidents and review its policies, among other moves.

  • Big picture: A steady trickle of findings in other cases could bring campus harassment issues back to the forefront nationally with over 100 active inquiries at some of the country's biggest institutions, including Harvard and Yale. More reports are expected to come this summer, but Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said his agency is struggling to keep up with the caseload due to funding. Probes take 6-8 months on average.

2) Social warning

The U.S.'s top doctor may want to give your favorite app the Big Tobacco treatment.

  • The news: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants Congress to mandate social media platforms display warning labels to alert potential danger for underage users. Murthy made the call in an op-ed for The New York Times. "The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor," he wrote.

  • The logic: Murthy believes using warning labels similar to the ones that appear on cigarettes and other alcohol and tobacco products would change behavior and raise awareness. He also called on social media companies to allow independent safety audits and to share data amid growing evidence their platforms negatively impact users' mental health, especially younger ones.

  • Big picture: While the labels -- like with alcohol or tobacco -- would carry the imprimatur of Murphy's office, he cannot unilaterally introduce them. Any social media warning labels would require congressional approval. There are no current House or Senate bills that would introduce a label system into consideration.

3) Chipping in

Over two-thirds of NATO will meet the alliance's military spending target this year.

  • The news: Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said 23 of the bloc's 32 member nations will spend at least 2% of their respective GDP on defense in 2024. The announcement came during a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House ahead of next month's alliance summit in Washington.

  • Nudged by the Kremlin: NATO set the 2% target in 2014, the same year Russia illegally annexed Crimea. Defense spending has continued to increase since and has spiked following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The bloc has also expanded in recent years to add countries spending at or near the target.

  • Also worth noting: NATO's increased spending also comes as the bloc prepares for the potential re-election of Donald Trump. The former president has been critical of nations failing to spend enough on defense and has threatened to leave the alliance or to refuse to participate in collective defense. The members hitting 2% has more than doubled dating back to his time in office.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • The first warnings of Atlantic hurricane season have been issued. Two potential tropical storms are on the radar; one could bring heavy rains and flooding to southern Texas, Mexico and Central America (More)

  • Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pardoned over 175K marijuana convictions impacting about 100K people. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey enacted a similar mass amnesty earlier this year (More)

  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will hold a vote to ban gun bump stocks. The Supreme Court reversed a 2018 ban issued by the Trump Administration; the accessory allows semi-automatic weapons to fire hundreds of rounds per minute (More)

World News

  • Chinese and Philippine ships collided yesterday in a disputed area of the South China Sea. Both nations blamed the other; the Philippines has accused China of reckless maritime behavior several times in recent months (More)

  • German prosecutors said they made the largest cocaine bust in European history last year. Police are said to have confiscated over 35T of the drug with a street value of about $2.8B in a series of raids (More)

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his war cabinet. The move comes after politician Benny Gantz left the government and amid a disagreement over the military's plan for daily fighting pauses in Gaza (More)

Campaign News

  • Virginia's 5th Congressional District's divisive Republican primary is today. Former President Trump and ex-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy are backing state legislator John McGuire against incumbent Rep. Bob Good, the House Freedom Caucus chairman (More)

  • New Jersey Democratic powerbroker George Norcross was indicted on state racketeering charges. The brother of Rep. Donald Norcross is alleged to have used illegal means to grab lucrative real estate deals (More)

  • Just over 20% of independent voters are less likely to support Trump following his hush money conviction, according to a Politico poll. The survey found 43% felt the case was brought to boost President Biden's re-election hopes (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The S&P 500 ended the day with a record close while the Dow Jones ended a four-day losing skid (Dow +0.49%, Nasdaq +0.95%, S&P 500 +0.77%).

  • A Merck vaccine that protects adults against bacteria that causes pneumonia has received federal approval. A government advisory board meets next week to determine eligibility standards for the jab (More)

  • McDonald's is ending its artificial intelligence ordering partnership with IBM. The fast food chain will shut down AI-powered drive-through technology after customers reported issues, but does not plan to stop AI pursuits (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals for the 18th time, finishing off the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Jayson Tatum had 31 points in the 106-88 victory; Jaylen Brown was named Finals MVP (More)

  • Megalopolis will be distributed by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Canada. The polarizing $120M science-fiction film financed by Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola will hit theaters on Sept. 27 (More)

  • The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge against Florida's sports betting compact. The Seminole Tribe holds exclusive operating rights in the state through 2051 (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Fun Stuff: There is nothing new about cats and dogs being put in human clothing. But what if the pets could actually dress themselves and determine their personal style?

  • Happy Days: Ever felt like you seem to get invited to several weddings all at the same time? You are not wrong -- data shows people tend to get hitched in bunches at certain times of the year while avoiding the altar in others.

  • Data Crunch: Smart televisions can track what people watch and how they watch it. Political campaigns are beginning to mine this information, which concerns some people.

  • Be Well: Exercising outdoors provides more benefits than indoors, according to experts. While it may be tough to do so this week amid a heatwave, breaking a sweat in the fresh air boosts Vitamin D intake and more.

  • Life Hack: Eating leftovers is ... good for you? In some cases, yes; day-old pasta is an example, as the starch can boost positive gut bacteria and lower the caloric and sugar impact as it ages.

  • OPTIMIZE ME: Researchers “found convincing evidence that higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48% to 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% greater risk of type 2 diabetes.”

Want more health and wellness news? Subscribe to our brand new newsletter, Optimize Me, and start living a healthier life through diet, exercise, sleep, and mindfulness:

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Looking Ahead …

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's semi-annual congressional testimony is scheduled for July 9 in front of the Senate Banking Committee. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is on the committee, was among the Senate Democrats who called on Powell to cut interest rates earlier this month. 

Question of the Day

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