The News Not Noise Letter: Columbia University Rocked by “Bad Actors” and Antisemitic Protests
Are the kids alright? Everyone’s upset about what’s going on at Columbia. Plus: Trump’s trial begins, and Mexico’s most valuable kitty cats.
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Today is Passover, a holiday in which Jewish people remember their history in captivity and express gratitude for their freedom. Note that on this holiday celebrants sing “let my people go,” a message especially resonant with so many hostages still in Hamas’ captivity. To those who celebrate, we wish you a sweet Pesach.
In this newsletter we cover two big news stories, starting with the first day of Trump’s criminal trial. Then we go to the drama at Columbia University over antisemitism, protest, and student arrests.
Because that’s a lot, we provide a parable in the middle of the newsletter (does that make you want to read on or flee?) and we end with News That Doesn’t Suck, because we all need the palate cleanser.
Trump Trial Opens:
Today the first criminal trial of former President Donald Trump opened with statements by the prosecution and defense. Here are the arguments presented by each side:
Prosecution’s Argument: In opening arguments, the prosecution made the case that Trump conspired with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and with Trump’s “fixer” Michael Cohen to cover up Trump’s alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels– and to cover up other stories that could damage Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. They called this an act of “election fraud, pure and simple.” David Pecker was called for a few minutes of testimony as part of the opening.
The prosecution outlined a “catch-and-kill” arrangement: Pecker would allegedly buy the rights to potentially disparaging stories about Trump and then “kill” the story by failing to publish it. (This is not illegal, just slimy/bad journalism.) On the stand today Pecker even described his own editorial practices as “checkbook journalism.”
In 2016 when Pecker caught wind that Daniels was ready to go public with the story of her affair with Trump, the prosecution says Cohen paid her off at Trump’s direction. Then, they allege, Trump falsified business records to reimburse Cohen, (sloppily) covering up the scandal and his involvement in it. These allegedly falsified records are what the charges are really about.
Defense’s Argument: The key argument by the defense is that “There is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It's called democracy.”
The defense argues that there was no “catch and kill” scheme, just ordinary editorial decisions.
They also allege that much of the prosecution's case is “not true” and challenge the truthfulness of witnesses for the prosecution, including Daniels (who previously lost a defamation case she brought against Trump) and Cohen (who was convicted for his role in paying off Daniels, and separately convicted of perjury).
Our Coverage: A lot of the blow-by-blow coverage of this case is noisy. We will update you on newsworthy developments. But one funny detail – multiple reporters present in court report Trump keeps falling asleep, and Snopes had to fact-check a claim that Trump was farting in court. They say reports of farting are “unproven.”
Columbia Protests and Antisemitism:
I’ve heard from students at Columbia University and those who have friends or family members there about the protests on campus. Some of you see and hear only peaceful protests and feel recent coverage is distorted by focusing on antisemitism you just haven’t seen or experienced. Others have been confronted with protesters hurling violent and deeply antisemitic threats and are distraught that there isn’t a stronger response to stop this. Both truths can be real at the same time. More on this below, but first:
What’s happening at Columbia?
Going Remote: At 1am Monday morning the President of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, released a statement in which she denounced antisemitism and harassment and moved all of the day’s classes online “to deescalate the rancor.” She said “there have been too many examples of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus.” Crucially, she explained that, “tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas.” People on all sides of this controversy are critical of her statement and the decision to go remote. I’m not taking a side here. Instead, I want to help you understand what’s happening. Based on my reporting, it seems that something new and different emerged over the weekend at Columbia.
Tent City Protests: Last week, student protesters coordinated a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” – basically camping out in tents calling on the school to “divest all economic and academic stakes in Israel.” Whatever your view of the divestment movement, we were not flooded with outraged reports that these protesters threatened Jewish students with violence. They were protesting an issue, which is exactly what you expect college students to do. On Thursday, after a warning, over 100 of the students in the encampment were arrested for violating school policy. This has caused a great deal of upset among students and faculty who view this as a violation of their free speech rights. (Columbia University is a private institution that can make and enforce its own rules; part of the tradition of civil disobedience is accepting consequences for breaking rules in support of a cause.)
Outside Actors: Over the weekend, there was a dramatic change. It seems that new and different protesters showed up around Columbia and started leading chants that included “we are Hamas” and “the seventh of October is about to be every day.” One student held up a sign that read “Al-Qasam’s Next Targets” with an arrow pointing at pro-Israel counterprotesters. And someone taunted Jewish students saying “Go back to Poland.” I’m basing this not only on my reporting; this is also reported by the school newspaper.
Students Denounce Antisemitism: The student organization that sponsored the Gaza Solidarity Encampment denounced the antisemitic threats saying their movement is “united by love and justice,” distancing themselves from “non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students,” and saying they “firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry.”
What’s the response?
Jewish Community: One rabbi suggested Jewish students leave campus for their own safety. Other Jewish groups say they’ve ramped up security for Jewish students on Passover. Robert Kraft, a major donor, said he’s freezing financial support until the school does a better job of protecting Jewish students.
Protesters: Faculty walked out (of their remote classes) in solidarity with student activists. Some students have expressed that what they view as a peaceful protest movement is now being co-opted and maligned by a bunch of “bad actors” who are distracting from the plight of the Gazan people through violent rhetoric.
Politicians: Today Governor Kathy Hochul visited campus, where the NYPD is now out in force. Some in Congress are calling for President Shafik to resign. And in his statement on Passover, President Biden denounced the “alarming surge in Antisemitism” and said “it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.”
What next?
Other Campuses: As tensions at Columbia simmer over, similar protests and crackdowns are in the news at Yale, NYU, UC Berkeley, MIT, and beyond.
2024: There is also growing concern inside the Democratic party that the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer will be marred by divisive potentially violent protests over Israel and Gaza as well.
The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant
Here’s something a little different. I want to share the ancient Indian parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant. Do you know it?
A group of blind men encounter an elephant for the first time. Each of them is asked to touch the elephant and describe it. Some touch the head. Some touch the body, others the feet, still others the back, and another the hairy tuft of the tail. Each of them describes the elephant differently because they experienced the elephant differently. Then each man becomes confused, mistrustful, and angry because the others are describing a creature he most certainly does not recognize. They start to fight. But none of them are lying. They just only felt one part of the elephant, and assumed they knew all of it. You see how this relates to the news and current flashpoint controversies? No one has the truth in its entirety, based only on one’s own limited experience. Another’s point of view can be equally true without denying the authenticity of your experience. Hearing more perspectives can expand your awareness. It is possible that some students have experienced only peaceful protests and some students have experienced antisemitic protests; both can be true.