The federal government sued the city last week in an effort to permanently block policies that bar agencies from cooperating with ICE in some instances.
Day: July 28, 2025
A Columbia University professor in a Wednesday New York Times op-ed condemned the school’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration over campus anti-Semitism, urging Columbia to move more of its research abroad in response.
“This deal won’t end Columbia’s torture,” Suresh Naidu, who teaches economics and international affairs at Columbia and has lectured on “the evidence-based policy path to socialism,” wrote in the op-ed. “New civil rights violations will be imagined, new vistas of anti-Americanism on campus will be discovered, and the attacks will continue.”
“Donors and university leaders might consider moving more of the scholarly mission outside the United States,” reads the op-ed, headlined “Columbia’s Administrators Are Fooling Themselves.” Naidu argued that “Columbia should recognize this agreement won’t placate the Project 2025 apparatchiks.”
Naidu’s Times op-ed came shortly after Columbia leaders agreed to settle the Trump administration’s concerns about campus anti-Semitism and other civil rights violations by paying $200 million to the federal government over three years and $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Trump administration earlier this year revoked more than $430 million in federal funds from Columbia, citing the school’s failure to curb anti-Semitic protests and use of “discriminatory” DEI policies.
Trump in a Wednesday Truth Social post celebrated the deal, writing that Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government “for violating Federal Law, in addition to over $20 Million to their Jewish employees who were unlawfully targeted and harassed.”
“Columbia has also committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their students on campus,” Trump added.
Naidu in the op-ed slammed the Trump administration as “a coalition of election deniers, Christian nationalists and supplement- and crypto-hawkers” who have “little regard for academic freedom, scientific progress and learning.”
“It was always a stretch for Columbia to think a good-faith agreement was in the cards, but when the government is too often behaving unchecked by the law, the idea of a binding contract is a fantasy,” Naidu wrote.
Columbia acting president Claire Shipman, meanwhile, struck a conciliatory tone in announcing the settlement.
“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” Shipman said in a statement. “The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track.”
Naidu is not the only professor to slam Columbia’s efforts to fight anti-Semitism.
Last week, Columbia announced it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, a standard endorsed by the Trump administration. In response, anti-Israel journalist Peter Beinart, a Times contributor and City University of New York professor, argued that “close to none” of Columbia’s faculty members “who teach classes on antisemitism” support the definition.
The post $221 Mil Deal With Trump ‘Won’t End Columbia’s Torture,’ Professor Wails in NYT Op-Ed appeared first on The Jewish Voice.
(AP) — A man accused of entering a Walmart in Michigan and randomly stabbing 11 shoppers before being detained by bystanders in the store parking lot is expected to face terrorism and multiple assault charges, authorities said Sunday. Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said a motive behind the attack by Bradford Gille of […]
By Lev Tsitrin For a few days now, the story of Gaza’s starvation fills MSM’s ecosystem. As I opened the New York Times’ site this morning, the first headline to meet the eye was “No Meals, Fainting Nurses, Dwindling Baby Formula: Starvation Haunts Gaza Hospitals.” The one under it read, “Israel Says It Has Paused Some Military Activity […]
By: Andrew Carlson In a troubling episode that highlights the rise of overt antisemitism in urban public spaces, a group of demonstrators brought Brooklyn’s Belt Parkway to a standstill on Thursday, paralyzing traffic near the Pennsylvania Avenue exit while shouting inflammatory chants, including “Globalize the Intifada.” According to a report on the Matzav.com webssite, the incident […]
By: Jerome Brookshire
The New York City Department of Health has opened an urgent investigation following the identification of a cluster of Legionnaire’s disease cases in Harlem, as was reported on Sunday in The New York Post. As of the weekend, five individuals in the Manhattan neighborhood have been diagnosed with the potentially fatal respiratory illness, prompting health authorities to issue a citywide advisory encouraging early medical consultation for flu-like symptoms.
Dr. Toni Eyssallenne, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the health department, stressed the importance of early diagnosis, especially among high-risk populations. “Legionnaire’s disease can be effectively treated if diagnosed early,” Eyssallenne stated in a press release quoted by The New York Post. “But New Yorkers at higher risk, like adults aged 50 and older, those who smoke or have chronic lung conditions, should be especially mindful of their symptoms and seek care as soon as symptoms begin.”
Although no fatalities have been linked to the Harlem cluster so far, health officials are treating the situation with elevated concern given the history of the disease in the city and elsewhere. Legionnaire’s disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling aerosolized water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria. The illness is not transmitted from person to person but typically originates in contaminated building water systems, including cooling towers, hot tubs, humidifiers, and complex plumbing networks.
As The New York Post reported, Legionnaire’s disease is not unprecedented in the city’s history. A particularly lethal outbreak occurred in 2022 in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, where at least 24 individuals were diagnosed. Two people died, and several others were hospitalized. The memory of that outbreak still looms large, adding urgency to the city’s current response.
The latest cluster in Harlem comes amid a global context in which Legionnaire’s disease continues to pose a periodic public health threat. The New York Post previously noted a case in Sydney, Australia, last month, in which one person died following exposure to the Legionella bacterium. In October 2023, twelve cruise ship passengers were infected, with ten requiring hospitalization. That same year, two Las Vegas casinos reported outbreaks linked to their water systems.
According to the health department, the bacteria flourish in warm water and can proliferate in poorly maintained cooling towers and stagnant plumbing systems, especially in large buildings. When contaminated droplets are released into the air—such as via mist or steam—they can be inhaled, leading to infection. Symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease can mimic common viral infections and include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches. Because of this overlap, the illness is sometimes misdiagnosed or detected too late, emphasizing the need for vigilance.
Officials from the health department are now conducting environmental testing in Harlem to determine the source of the bacterial contamination. They are also performing outreach to healthcare providers in the area, urging them to remain alert for potential cases and to promptly report any suspected instances of the disease.
As The New York Post report indicated, residents—particularly seniors and those with preexisting lung conditions—should remain cautious but not panic. “Any New Yorkers with flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider as soon as possible,” Dr. Eyssallenne urged.
While Legionnaire’s disease can usually be treated effectively with antibiotics, delays in diagnosis can lead to severe complications or death, especially in vulnerable populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about one in ten cases are fatal. Public health officials aim to avoid any escalation of the Harlem situation by ramping up community awareness and environmental containment efforts.
For now, residents are being encouraged to stay informed and heed medical guidance. As the city’s environmental response teams examine water systems and cooling equipment in the affected area, the broader goal is to identify the source of contamination and ensure that mitigation protocols are fully implemented.
The investigation remains ongoing, and city officials are expected to release more information as testing results come in.
The post Harlem Under Watch as NYC Health Officials Investigate Legionnaire’s Disease Cluster appeared first on The Jewish Voice.
