<ul class="summary-list"><li>UPenn alumnus and donor Jon Huntsman Jr. says his alma mater needs to fire its president.</li><li>Liz Magill has come under fire for her congressional testimony about on-campus antisemitism. </li></ul>Megadonor Jon Huntsman Jr. wants his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, to remove its president."Let's make this great institution shine once again. We are anchored to the past until the trustees step up and completely cut ties with current leadership. Full stop," Huntsman, whose family has donated millions of dollars to the university, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/business/penn-emergency-meeting-liz-magill/index.html">CNN</a> in an exclusive statement on Thursday."At this point it's not even debatable. Just a simple IQ test," the former governor of Utah and ex-US ambassador added.Liz Magill, who assumed the university's presidency in July 2022, faced backlash this week over her congressional testimony about on-campus antisemitism."If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment," Magill said when she was repeatedly asked if calling for the genocide of Jewish people would violate her university's rules on bullying and harassment.Magill has since <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C0h7z20s5G0/">clarified her remarks to Congress</a>, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-rooting-for-ouster-of-upenn-president-liz-magill-2023-12">calls for her resignation have only grown louder</a>.Huntsman's statement on Thursday comes two months after he said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10">his family would be halting donations</a> over the university's response to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-declares-state-of-war-hamas-launches-massive-surprise-attack-2023-10">Israel-Hamas war</a>."To the outsider, it appears that Penn has become deeply adrift in ways that make it almost unrecognizable," Huntsman wrote in a <a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ACVjySWBeFOz2CKZyOqhl4zDXQ1cQLP/view">letter</a> to Magill back in October, where he criticized the administration's nonchalance toward on-campus antisemitism."Silence is antisemitism, and antisemitism is hate, the very thing higher ed was built to obviate," Huntsman said in the letter.Three generations of Huntsmans have studied at the University of Pennsylvania. Huntsman's late father attended Wharton on a scholarship before becoming the CEO of chemical giant Huntsman Corp. Huntsman Jr. himself graduated with a degree in political science in 1987.The Huntsmans have donated tens of millions of dollars to the university over the past three decades. The family funded the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, a dual degree program in liberal arts and business, per the university's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/10/penn-jon-huntsman-jr-wharton-halts-donations-magill">student newspaper</a>.Representatives for Huntsman and the University of Pennsylvania did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Jon Huntsman, whose family has donated millions of dollars to UPenn, says the school should 'completely cut ties with current leadership'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Huntsman family halted donations to the University of Pennsylvania over its response to Hamas' terrorist attacks.</li><li>The family, which has donated tens of millions to Penn, is the latest to "close its checkbook."</li></ul>The Huntsman family has halted donations to the University of Pennsylvania due to its response to Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel and the resulting war. It's the latest indication of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-escalate-colleges-harvard-penn-yale-over-war-israel-hamas-2023-10">growing friction between elite colleges and their rich alumni</a> over the conflict.Jon Huntsman Jr. — the former governor of Utah and US ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore — penned a letter to Penn's president Elizabeth Magill, alerting her of the Huntsman Foundation's decision."The University's silence in the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel (when the only response should be outright condemnation) is a new low. Silence is antisemitism, and antisemitism is hate, the very thing higher ed was built to obviate," he <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ACVjySWBeFOz2CKZyOqhl4zDXQ1cQLP/view">wrote in the letter</a>, which was published by the <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/10/penn-jon-huntsman-jr-wharton-halts-donations-magill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">student newspaper</a>. "Consequently, Huntsman Foundation will close its checkbook on all future giving to Penn."The Huntsman family, which includes three generations of Penn graduates, has donated tens of millions of dollars to the school over the past three decades, including a $10 million gift in 1997 and a $40 million gift to its business school, Wharton, in 1998. The family has donated at least $25,000 annually to Wharton in recent years.The late Jon Huntsman Sr. attended Wharton on scholarship and went on to become the billionaire CEO of chemical giant Huntsman Corp. Huntsman Jr. has had two stints on Penn's board of trustees.Huntsman's letter was reportedly written before an email from Penn's president Magill went out to the Penn community on Sunday."I want to leave no doubt about where I stand," she wrote in the email, which was viewed by Insider. "I, and this University, are horrified by and condemn Hamas's terrorist assault on Israel and their violent atrocities against civilians."The Huntsmans are the latest megadonors to pull back from from donations to the school: Last week, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-university-pennsylvania-penn-leaders-quit-antisemitism-2023-10?utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_campaign=Insider_Today">Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan</a> announced he would donate $1 — rather than his typical annual contribution — unless Magill and the chairman of its board of trustees, Scott Bok, stepped down. Rowan and his wife donated $50 million to Wharton in 2018. The campus has been mired in tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since September, when the Palestine Writes Literary Festival, which some said gave antisemitism a platform, was hosted at the university."The University did not, and emphatically does not, endorse these speakers or their views," Magill wrote in her email on Sunday. "While we did communicate, we should have moved faster to share our position strongly and more broadly with the Penn community."Penn did respond to a request for comment regarding Huntsman's letter. The Huntsman family did not respond to requests for comment ahead of publication.Across the country, campus conversations have boiled over into the real world, as alumni donors and prospective employers follow student and school leadership responses to the war between Israel and Hamas.For the past week, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-bill-ackman-wall-street-law-firms-growing-rift-2023-10">Harvard has been grappling with the ramifications</a> of a joint statement signed by more than 30 student groups, together dubbed the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-students-groups-signed-anti-israel-letter-without-them-knowing-2023-10" rel="">Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups</a>, that said the Israeli government was "entirely responsible for all unfolding violence." The statement launched a series of hostilities: Billionaire hedge fund manager <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-release-names-students-blaming-israel-violence-hamas-2023-10?utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_campaign=Insider_Today" rel="">Bill Ackman, a Harvard alum and donor,</a> called on the university to release the names of students in the groups that signed the letter so he could avoid hiring them. A Harvard alum, who seemingly had nothing to do with the letter, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-graduate-named-not-signed-israel-hamas-letter-professor-2023-10?utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_campaign=Insider_Today">said they were doxxed</a>. Ackman's call for the list of names was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-larry-summers-bill-ackman-israel-hamas-student-names-list-2023-10?utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_campaign=Insider_Today">likened to McCarthyism.</a>The joint statement was eventually deleted, but the fallout continues.Idan and Batia Ofer, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israeli-billionaire-harvard-kennedy-board-hamas-attacks-israel-palestine-gaza-2023-10">Israel's richest man and his wife, stepped down from the board of Harvard's</a> Kennedy School of Government."Unfortunately, our faith in the University's leadership has been broken and we cannot in good faith continue to support Harvard and its committees," the Ofers said in a statement.Yale, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyu-law-student-bar-association-president-blame-israel-hamas-2023-10?utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_campaign=Insider_Today">NYU</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stanford-lecturer-suspended-made-jewish-students-stand-in-corner-report-2023-10">Stanford</a> have also been caught up in the escalating tensions, which have no signs of slowing down or staying on campus behind ivy-covered gates.

The Huntsman family says it's cutting off its mega-donations to University of Pennsylvania over 'antisemitism'

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/515f158ceab8eaf44b000004-744-558/nancy-pelosi-2.png?maxX=400" border="0" alt="nancy pelosi" width="400" /></div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=Bri-3kgs60w">The Young Turks</a><keyword id="128640" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nancy-Pelosi">Nancy Pelosi</keyword>, when she was Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro.</div>Most high school senior photos are embarrassing.
While they can't be erased from memory or the Internet, they're in good company with a number of accomplished politicians.
Before these political stars were senators, presidents, or governors, they were jocks, freaks, and geeks — just like the rest of us.

High School Photos Of 26 Now-Famous Politicians

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. had an unflattering view of Ron DeSantis's 3rd debate performance.</li><li>The former 2012 GOP candidate said DeSantis "looks like he's having a colonoscopy live on stage."</li></ul>Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deseret.com/2023/11/8/23952443/jon-huntsman-jr-gop-presidential-debate">watched</a> the third 2024 GOP presidential debate, and his assessments of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ron-desantis-tucker-carlson-dog-table-michael-wolff-book-2023-9">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</a> were not flattering."Why does DeSantis looks [sic] like he's having a colonoscopy live on stage?" Huntsman, the former US ambassador to Russia, wondered aloud at one point. "It does not inspire confidence."Huntsman, a more moderate Republican who's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-coin-flip-no-labels-nominee-democrat-republican-2023-7">involved with the centrist group No Labels</a>, invited journalists <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deseret.com/2023/11/8/23952443/jon-huntsman-jr-gop-presidential-debate">from the Deseret News</a> to hear his reactions to the debate on Wednesday evening.He said that it was a "foregone conclusion" that former President Donald Trump would win the GOP nomination, arguing that the purpose of the debate was about "who can position him or herself to be Trump's running mate."He also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deseret.com/2023/11/8/23952443/jon-huntsman-jr-gop-presidential-debate">said</a> DeSantis is "dropping like a rock" in the polls and that he came off as "totally patronizing" in his response to the question of why he should be the GOP nominee over Trump.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E-4WoW9_jqk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" title="Watching the GOP Debate with Jon Huntsman Jr."></iframe>A former 2012 presidential candidate himself, Huntsman seemed to take a dim view of the debates more generally."The hard part is differentiating rhetoric, throwaway lines, from useful ideas that are actually implementable," he said. "90% of this is noise."Huntsman, while stressing that he's "neutral," also offered high praise for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, saying she's increasingly "showing some moxie as a leader."Spokespeople for DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Ron DeSantis looked 'like he's having a colonoscopy live on stage' at the 3rd debate, 2012 GOP candidate says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wealthy donors are slamming elite US colleges for their responses to the Israel-Hamas war.</li><li>Some of these wealthy alumni are also taking it a step further and closing their checkbooks.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-escalate-colleges-harvard-penn-yale-over-war-israel-hamas-2023-10">Tensions between college campuses and their big-money donors</a> show no signs of slowing down. In the past week, wealthy college donors have closed their checkbooks, citing their disagreement with the universities' responses to the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/israel-palestine">Israel-Hamas war</a>. Last week, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-university-pennsylvania-penn-leaders-quit-antisemitism-2023-10">Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan called for the resignation</a> of the University of Pennsylvania's president and chairman of the board of trustees. Rowan also urged his fellow alumni to reduce their normal contributions to the university to just $1 "so that no one misses the point."The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10">Huntsman family recently notified Penn that it was stopping further donations</a> to the Ivy League school. The family includes Jon Huntsman Jr., the former governor of Utah who was also the US ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore. "The University's silence in the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel (when the only response should be outright condemnation) is a new low. Silence is antisemitism, and antisemitism is hate, the very thing higher ed was built to obviate," Huntsman Jr. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ACVjySWBeFOz2CKZyOqhl4zDXQ1cQLP/view" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">wrote in a letter</a>, which was published by the university's <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/10/penn-jon-huntsman-jr-wharton-halts-donations-magill" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">student newspaper</a>, The Daily Pennsylvanian. "Consequently, Huntsman Foundation will close its checkbook on all future giving to Penn." The Huntsman family, which includes three generations of Penn graduates, has donated tens of millions of dollars to the school over the past three decades.The university's president, Elizabeth Magill, sent an email about the war to the Penn community on Sunday."I want to leave no doubt about where I stand," Magill wrote in the email. "I, and this University, are horrified by and condemn Hamas's terrorist assault on Israel and their violent atrocities against civilians."The computer scientist and hedge fund veteran David Magerman of Renaissance Technologies joined in as well, telling <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-17/upenn-donors-pile-pressure-on-school-as-magerman-pulls-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a> on Tuesday that he was "deeply ashamed" of his connection to Penn and planned to stop all donations to the university.Ronald Lauder, the billionaire Estée Lauder heir, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-ronald-lauder-threatens-donations-over-antisemitism-2023-10">has also threatened to stop donations</a> to Penn.At Harvard, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wexner-foundation-pulls-funding-from-harvard-over-stance-israel-hamas-attacks-2023-10">Wexner Foundation</a> — named for Les Wexner, the retail billionaire who was once CEO of Victoria's Secret — said Monday it was "no longer compatible partners" with the university, citing "the dismal failure of Harvard's leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists last Saturday." The announcement brings to an end a partnership spanning more than three decades between the foundation and the university.Harvard president Claudine Gay had, however, addressed the war in a video statement the Friday prior, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDI2P4dOsJ8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, "Our university rejects terrorism — that includes the barbaric atrocities perpetrated by Hamas."Besides making a statement with their wallets, wealthy alumni have also slammed universities and their leadership over what they consider weak stances on antisemitism.The billionaire hedge fund manager <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-release-names-students-blaming-israel-violence-hamas-2023-10">Bill Ackman called on Harvard to publish the names of Harvard students</a> who signed onto a letter saying Israel's "apartheid regime is the only one to blame" for the war, which cited Israeli violence against Palestinians over the past several decades.Also at Harvard, one of Israel's richest people, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israeli-billionaire-harvard-kennedy-board-hamas-attacks-israel-palestine-gaza-2023-10">Idan Ofer, and his wife stepped down from the board</a> of the Kennedy School of Government, attributing their departures to a "lack of clear evidence of support from the University's leadership for the people of Israel following the tragic events of the past week, coupled with their apparent unwillingness to recognize Hamas for what it is, a terrorist organization."Thousands of people have been injured or killed in Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel and Israel's bombardment of Gaza.Israel and Egypt have long imposed a blockade on Gaza, and two days after Hamas attacked Israel, the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-gallant-announces-complete-siege-gaza-no-electricity-food-fuel-2023-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip</a>, effectively cutting off <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gaza-strip-life-get-worse-israel-cut-food-fuel-power-2023-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">access to power, food, and fuel</a> for the 2 million people who live there.On Thursday evening, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-demand-million-people-leave-northern-gaza-impossible-un-2023-10?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel told more than a million civilians</a> in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes within 24 hours. Gaza's border crossings have largely been sealed off.

Big-money donors are slamming Ivy League universities and pulling funding over their responses to the Israel-Hamas war

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Billionaires are withholding donations to Ivy League schools.</li><li>They've criticized the institutions' responses to antisemitism. </li></ul>Billionaire investor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-billionaire-dealmaker-len-blavatnik-2016-2">Len Blavatnik</a> is pausing donations to Harvard University, joining a group of wealthy megadonors who have criticized the response to antisemitism on campus in the wake of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-there-fighting-in-israel-and-what-caused-the-conflict-2023-10">Israel-Palestine conflict</a>.A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that the Blavatnik Family Foundation is suspending donations to the university. A spokesperson for the foundation did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent after working hours.Blavatnik, who is Jewish and received his MBA from Harvard Business School, is a heavyweight donor to the Ivy League school. CNN's source said Blavatnik's foundation has given at least $270 million.Blavatnik did not make specific requests to Harvard but wants the school to "do better" to protect Jewish students on campus, the source told CNN."He's not trying to step away or abandon the place," the source said.Divisions over the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict have pervaded <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-escalate-colleges-harvard-penn-yale-over-war-israel-hamas-2023-10">US college campuses</a> for years, but the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-goal-october-7-attack-israel-gaza-war-2023-11">Hamas terrorist attack</a> in October has increased tensions among student bodies, and Harvard, in particular, has taken center stage.After a group of student organizations called the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-students-groups-signed-anti-israel-letter-without-them-knowing-2023-10">Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups</a> blamed the Israeli government for the October 7 attack in a public statement, billionaire hedge fund manager <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-mit-upenn-presidents-should-resign-disgrace-2023-12">Bill Ackman</a> demanded the university release the names of the students associated with the letter.Donors soon began to announce pauses in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-donors-boycott-harvard-penn-response-effect-israel-palestine-hamas-2023-10">donations</a> to their elite alma maters, including University of Pennsylvania grads Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan and the family of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10">former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.</a>Criticism of elite schools from business leaders only mounted in December after a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-mit-upenn-college-presidents-response-jewish-genocide-antisemitism-israel-2023-12">congressional hearing</a> that included presidents of UPenn, MIT, and Harvard. Many, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-mit-upenn-presidents-should-resign-disgrace-2023-12">Ackman</a>, denounced their responses to a question from Republican Rep. Elise Sefanik, who asked whether calling for a genocide of Jews violates their school's code of conduct."It can be, depending on the context," Harvard's president Claudine Gay said.Gay later issued a statement on X, taking a clearer stance: "Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account."A spokesperson for Harvard did not respond to a request for comment sent outside working hours.During the October 7 terror attack, about 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage by Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza, and other groups. Israel responded to the attack with airstrikes and a ground invasion that has killed at least 20,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials in Gaza.In the months since the attack, instances of antisemitism and islamophobia have been on the rise in the US.

Billionaire who has previously donated at least $270 million to Harvard will pause donations to university, CNN reported

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The No Labels group on Monday will release a policy document which could be a blueprint for a White House bid.</li><li>Sen. Joe Manchin and former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will speak at the group's event in New Hampshire.</li></ul>The bipartisan political movement No Labels is about to make one of its biggest splashes as the 2024 presidential race heats up.While it is unclear whether or not No Labels will actually run a unity presidential ticket next year, the group is set to release a 67-page "common sense" platform on Monday outlining their vision of a White House free from the pressures of political extremes, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/us/politics/no-labels-presidential-run.html">according to The New York Times</a>.No Labels is rooted in a desire for real compromise and middle-of-the-road governance in US politics. The group strongly backs the Second Amendment, but also believes in universal background checks and restrictions on semiautomatic rifles. And while the group <a href="https://www.nolabels.org/immigration-and-finding-consensus-on-the-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wants stronger border regulations</a>, they also support a pathway to citizenship for Americans who were brought to the country illegally as children.The group will hold its event at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., featuring expected remarks from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia — who has been both an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manchin-ketanji-brown-jackson-scotus-republican-behavior-disgraceful-judiciary-committee-2022-3">ally</a> and a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-manchin-build-back-better-opposition-legislative-process-progressives-biden-2021-12">thorn</a> in President Joe Biden's side on everything from domestic policy to judicial nominees — and former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah.Huntsman ran unsuccessfully for president in 2012. He also served as the US ambassador to China and Russia under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, respectively.While some current lawmakers have had kind words for the group in the past, many of them are also antsy over the movement potentially splitting the vote and damaging Biden's reelection bid — especially as the president has sought to claim the mantle of bipartisanship in working with a Congress that remains sharply divided.Some Democrats, frustrated that the group could make former President Donald Trump's pathway back to the White House easier should he secure the GOP presidential nomination next year, have <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/26/members-of-a-no-labels-allied-caucus-erupt-at-no-labels-00098913">criticized</a> the group's 2024 efforts.But no matter what happens next year, the movement could play a larger role in the country's political system as voters have <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/467897/party-preferences-evenly-split-2022-shift-gop.aspx">increasingly began to self-identify</a> as independents.New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who floated a potential 2024 presidential bid but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sununu-president-republican-trump-0dec43763e6c1fa7843570e68ae209c2#:~:text=Chris%20Sununu%20said%20Monday%20that,stop%20former%20President%20Donald%20Trump.">opted out</a> of a campaign, told The Times that No Labels has found a political lane that is appealing to many Americans."I'll give them credit in that No Labels seems to be tapping into what America is looking for right now," he told the newspaper. "Whether it's viable and where it goes, we'll see."

New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu says the 'No Labels' political movement is 'tapping into what America is looking for right now'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Business leaders are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-mit-upenn-college-presidents-response-jewish-genocide-antisemitism-israel-2023-12">criticizing the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT</a> following a botched congressional hearing.</li><li>At the hearing earlier this week, the presidents evaded questions on Jewish genocide.</li></ul>Business leaders, many who double as donors, are unleashing fury on the leadership of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-mit-upenn-college-presidents-response-jewish-genocide-antisemitism-israel-2023-12&amp;post-bottom-piano-recommendations">University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and MIT after a botched congressional</a> hearing earlier this week.In their December 5 testimony on antisemitism, the presidents of the three elite institution failed to answer a question that asked if calling for a <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-penn-mit-presidents-statements-antisemitism-genocide-congress-testimony-backlash-2023-12">Jewish genocide was against each school's code of conduct</a>.The response from Wall Street and tech leaders — some who had previously condemned or pulled funding from the schools following incidents of antisemitism on campus — mounted throughout the week.The day of the hearing, Clifford Asness, the cofounder of money management fund AQR Capital, criticized the remarks of Elizabeth Magill, Penn's president. In October, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/university-of-pennsylvania-major-donors-pulling-funding-israel-hamas-war-2023-10">billionaire had announced he would halt donations</a> to his alma mater following its response to the October 7 attacks on Israel."The presidents are flat out evil and deeply mediocre. They aren't even good at hiding their evil. Maybe they just don't care. I wish I could quit giving twice," he <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/CliffordAsness/status/1732211557541548396?s=20">wrote</a> on X, along with a clip of the hearing.By Wednesday, the hearing seemed to go viral.Hedge fund manager <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-release-names-students-blaming-israel-violence-hamas-2023-10">Bill Ackman, a Harvard alum</a> who has been critical of the school's president, Claudine Gay, and her response to antisemitism on campus, also slammed the university presidents."If a CEO of one of our companies gave a similar answer, he or she would be toast within the hour," he <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BillAckman/status/1732179418787783089">posted</a>. "They must all resign in disgrace."<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pfizer-ceo-slams-harvard-mit-and-upenn-presidents-2023-12&amp;post-bottom-piano-recommendations">Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla</a> condemned the presidents, invoking his own family's history and the killing of his relatives during the Holocaust.And Patrick Collison, the CEO of Stripe and an MIT alum, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/patrickc/status/1732575845036990925">wrote</a> that "something seems very broken." Dan Loeb, the CEO of hedge fund Third Point, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/DanielSLoeb1/status/1732586661047836808">responded</a>,"you did well to flee," referencing the fact that Collison dropped out of MIT after six months.Even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, a Penn alum who himself has been criticized for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/musk-faces-consequences-for-calling-antisemitic-tweet-actual-truth-2023-11">trumpeting antisemitic</a> theories, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1732772327836836296">called</a> the universities "shameful."The pile-on continued Thursday.Megadonor and former Utah governor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-upenn-president-liz-magill-should-be-fired-2023-12">Jon Huntsman Jr</a>., whose family had previously announced it would be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10">halting donations to Penn</a>, doubled down on his criticism of the school's leadership, calling on Magill to step down.The criticism turned to real consequence when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ross-stevens-letter-pull-penn-donation-president-2023-12">Wall Street CEO Ross Stevens threatened</a> to pull an existing $100 million gift if Penn's leadership did not change.Donors who had previously threatened to pull funding, like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-ronald-lauder-threatens-donations-over-antisemitism-2023-10">Ronald Lauder</a>, didn't respond to Business Insider's requests for comment about whether they would indeed pull their funding in the wake of the hearing.Even those who hadn't before publicly commented on the ongoing tensions on college campuses chimed in."For a long time I said that antisemitism, particularly on the American left, was not as bad as people claimed. I'd like to just state that I was totally wrong," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-ceo-sam-altman-totally-wrong-about-antisemitism-2023-12">OpenAI CEO Sam Altman</a> wrote, though he did not specifically point to the congressional testimony.Following widespread criticism, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-penn-mit-presidents-statements-antisemitism-genocide-congress-testimony-backlash-2023-12">presidents have walked back their comments</a>, but the pressure has continued.Wharton's board, which is chaired by Apollo CEO Marc Rowan, has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-university-pennsylvania-penn-leaders-quit-antisemitism-2023-10">called on Magill to step down</a>. Rowan had previously called on fellow <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-university-pennsylvania-penn-leaders-quit-antisemitism-2023-10">Penn alumni to halt donations</a> until the school's leadership stepped down.There will be an emergency board of trustees meeting on Sunday to further discuss the matter, the school's newspaper <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/12/penn-magill-resign-hearing-trustees">The Daily Pennsylvanian, reported</a>.

Business leaders slam Harvard, Penn, and MIT leadership following congressional hearing

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A handful of major companies are under fire for their continued business ties to Russia.</li><li>Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and a team of investigators updated its findings on which companies are continuing to do business.</li></ul>Some major international brands, including Heineken, Sbarro Pizza, TGI Fridays, and WeWork, are under fire for failing to expeditiously leave the Russian market despite the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine stretching past 500 days.Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his investigations team downgraded a series of household brand names for failing to live up to their initial promises to not do business in Russia following its large-scale invasion. Sonnenfeld, who has tracked the mass exodus of many Western companies, had harsh words for those that still remain."These companies are breaking their promises. They are functioning as wartime profiteers," <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/business/russia-companies-leaving-putin/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told CNN</a>. "It's beyond disappointing. It's shameful and unethical."Investigators downgraded a list of companies, including WeWork, Shell, Heineken, tobacco giant Philip Morris, Mondelez — the maker of Oreos —, Carl's Jr., TGI Fridays, and Sbarro Pizza. The reason for the downgrades vary but, generally speaking, it means that investigators felt the company had not done enough to exit the Russian market. The report repeatedly points out that 1,000 other companies have exited the Russian market.Take the fast food purveyor Carl's Jr.:. Investigators gave the company its lowest possible grade, an F, for "digging in." due to their Russian subsidiary's unrepentant social media presence."Indeed, its Russian Instagram page has posted nearly daily advertisements every day for the last year, showing Russians – overwhelmingly striking young females - feasting on American fast food as if there was nothing out of the ordinary," investigators wrote. Carl's Jr. did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.Shell was further downgraded to an F for allegedly taking a central role in taking in huge amounts of Russian gas. In a response to Insider, the energy giant said it still has " some long-term contractual commitments" even if it has stopped buying Russian liquefied natural gas on the spot market."There is a dilemma between putting pressure on the Russian government over its atrocities in Ukraine and ensuring stable, secure energy supplies," a Shell spokesman wrote to Insider. "It is for governments to decide on the incredibly difficult trade-offs that must be made."Huntsman Corporation, a chemical giant founded by the father of Ambassador Jon Huntsman, said it has working hard to leave the Russian market. The investigators gave it a failing grade for previously saying that it wanted to support its local employees. "Today Russia represents less than 1% of our corporate revenue, and we are hopeful that we can complete an exit during 2023," Gary Chapman, vice president of global communications for Huntsman, said in a statement. Investigators said this is a "ridiculously slow timeline."While Heineken is given a D-grade for Buying Time due to "putting out statements every few months" touting that it will try to leave the Russian market without doing so.Mondelez, which the report downgraded from A to D, said in a June statement that it is "focusing our operations in Russia on affordable, shelf-stable products that are daily staples for ordinary people.""We're continuing to reduce our activities and expect further volume and sales declines as we work to make our Russia operations self-sufficient," the company said at the time. "We plan to have the Russia business stand-alone with a self-sufficient supply chain before the end of the year."Sonnenfeld has hoped that a public pressure campaign on multinational corporations akin to the divestment movement against South Africa during apartheid can escalate the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin's standing has received considerable attention in the wake of an aborted coup attempt."The idea is to increase the level of discomfort," Sonnenfeld told CNN, "so they start to ask who the author of their misfortune is."The entire list of companies that have left the Russian market can be seen <a href="https://www.yalerussianbusinessretreat.com/">here</a>. A condensed list of the companies that have been downgraded after promising to leave Russia can be read <a href="https://www.yalerussianbusinessretreat.com/companies-reneging-on-leaving-russia">here</a>. Investigators in a variety of fields based their findings on a mixture of public sources, such as government reports, and non-public sources such as whistleblowers, and company insiders.

Heineken, Sbarro Pizza, TGI Fridays, and WeWork said they would leave Russia in response to its brutal war against Ukraine. Investigators say it's still business as usual.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Bill Ackman has won himself a new ally in his crusade against on-campus antisemitism.</li><li>Fellow billionaire Elon Musk has taken Ackman's side in the ongoing debate.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-mit-president-resign-letter-2023-12">Bill Ackman</a> really loves posting on X, formerly Twitter.Besides being a prolific user, Ackman has been using the platform to wage a pressure campaign against US colleges and their approach toward on-campus antisemitism.The fund manager used to the platform when he wanted to publish <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1720987581549080965?s=20">three</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BillAckman/status/1731532031048245631">open</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1733985787455168906?s=20">letters</a> on the subject to his alma mater, Harvard.And now he's earned a brand new ally in the form of the platform's owner, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>.<h2>Musk throws his hat into the ring</h2>Musk started showing his support for Ackman this week.On Monday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-calling-for-harvard-defunding-2023-12">Musk called for Harvard's defunding</a>, saying it "is the only thing that will work" to fix what he thinks is wrong with the college, amid a roiling controversy surrounding its president, Claudine Gay.Gay's critics have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-mit-president-resign-letter-2023-12">called for her resignation</a> following her controversial testimony at last week's congressional hearing on on-campus antisemitism. The Harvard president had been slammed for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-mit-upenn-presidents-should-resign-disgrace-2023-12">not unequivocally saying that calls for the genocide of Jews</a> would violate the university's policies. This was despite being repeatedly asked if such rhetoric would violate the school's rules on bullying and harassment.Musk repeated his suggestion to defund Harvard when he <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1734404604010324152">replied</a> to a post by Ackman on the same day. Ackman then reposted Musk's response.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefundHarvard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefundHarvard</a>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1734404604010324152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2023</a></blockquote>That wasn't all. Musk then praised Ackman's <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BillAckman/status/1733985787455168906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1733985787455168906%7Ctwgr%5E19617fd00607b3656d6aa2e49ac39c7298735955%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fbill-ackman-harvard-mit-president-resign-letter-2023-12">latest open letter</a> to Harvard, which had called for Gay's resignation."Your letter simply articulated, with great clarity, the severe concerns held by many," Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1734412249341587641?s=20">wrote</a> on Monday.Ackman himself has endured criticism from Gay's defenders, who have <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/DerrickNAACP/status/1734720954952020330">accused the billionaire of being racist</a> by going after her."Now I am a white supremacist apparently," Ackman <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1735293191878799605?s=20">wrote</a> on X on Thursday."Those are standard ad hominems. Par for the course. Not even creative," Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1735352348866695577?s=20">replied</a>.<h2>The feelings are mutual</h2>Musk's support for Ackman comes after the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla">Tesla</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk">SpaceX</a> CEO was accused of being antisemitic himself. Musk did <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-appears-agree-openai-sam-altman-left-antisemitism-2023-12">apologize</a> after being called out for endorsing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-asana-cofounder-elon-musk-should-resign-endorsing-antisemitic-tweet-2023-11">an X post</a> that his critics said was antisemitic.It could also be Musk's way of expressing his gratitude to Ackman. Ackman <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-elon-musk-grateful-bought-twitter-x-unfair-2023-12">defended Musk</a> in a lengthy X post on December 1, calling Musk a "free speech absolutist" he respected."After examining the facts, it was clear to me that Musk did not have antisemitic intent when he responded with the 'actual truth' tweet, and further clarified thereafter," Ackman <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1730442461644730553?s=20">wrote</a>, referencing the controversial post that Musk had been accused of endorsing.<h2>CEOs v Harvard</h2>Whatever his reasons, Musk seems to agree with Ackman's stance in the ongoing debate about antisemitism in the US.This makes Musk one of the several business executives who have spoken out on the issue. He joins and lends strength to a growing chorus of high-profile voices asserting pressure on Harvard and other US colleges.Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he'd <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-bill-ackman-antisemitism-left-wing-problem-analysis-2023-12">underestimated just how bad antisemitism had gotten</a> in the US."I still don't understand it, really. Or know what to do about it. But it is so fucked," Altman wrote in a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/1732925866836210151?s=46">post</a> on X.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pfizer-ceo-slams-harvard-mit-and-upenn-presidents-2023-12">Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla</a> said on December 6 that he was disappointed to hear the congressional testimonies by Gay and other college presidents."In my personal opinion, it was one of the most despicable moments in the history of US academia," Bourla <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBourla/status/1732484370332623330">wrote</a> on X.The unrelenting pressure from big fish in the business world could threaten colleges that <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-harvard-endowment-legacy-admissions-alumni-funding-2023-7">rely heavily on donations to fund their endowments</a>.And this pressure appears to have made an impact at the University of Pennsylvania. Musk's alma mater gave their president, Liz Magill. the boot after calls from the <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24201231/wharton-12_7-1.pdf">business school's advisory board</a> and megadonors like <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-upenn-president-liz-magill-should-be-fired-2023-12">Jon Huntsman Jr</a>.For now, Harvard has chosen to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-president-claudine-gay-wont-resign-antisemitism-genocide-backlash-2023-12">keep Gay as their president</a>.But it remains to be seen how long they can keep things up if billionaires — and their powerful friends — start to put their money where their mouths are.Representatives for Ackman and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the reason why Gay has been criticized following the hearing.

Bill Ackman's antisemitism crusade has earned him a new fan &mdash; Elon Musk

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger thanked Russia for including him on a new travel ban.</li><li>"I accept that I'm not their cup of Russian tea," he said in a Saturday statement mocking the list.</li></ul>Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger thanked the Russian government after they included him on a list of 500 Americans who are now banned from entering their country for allegedly spreading "Russophobia."Raffensperger, the state's top election official who rose to national prominence in 2021 for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-brad-raffensperger-phone-call-georgia-votes-presidential-election-2021-01">rejecting</a> then-President Donald Trump's repeated entreaties to overturn now-President Joe Biden's 2020 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-wins-georgia-democratic-party-south-presidential-election-2020-11">victory</a> in Georgia, roundly mocked his inclusion on the list."While I was previously unaware of my anti-Russian activities, I accept the verdict of Russia, whose commitment to truth, justice and the rule of law speaks for itself," Raffensperger <a href="https://sos.ga.gov/news/raffensperger-honored-inclusion-russian-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement."I can see where my commitment to free, fair and accurate elections, my tendency to speak truth to power and strong stance against war crimes would offend President Putin's sensibilities. I accept that I'm not their cup of Russian tea," he added. "My inclusion on this list is deserved, and I appreciate them thinking of me." The list, which was released Friday by the Russian Foreign Ministry, named US citizens who aren't allowed to travel to Russia.With his inclusion on the list, Raffensperger is in the company of many American officials, including former President Barack Obama, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, several GOP senators, and former ambassadors to Russia, Jon Huntsman Jr. and John Tefft.The action comes as Russia continues to retaliate against a raft of Western countries over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/medvedev-putin-sanctions-west-ukraine-cutting-diplomatic-ties-death-penalty-2022-2">sanctions</a> that have been imposed since the country first invaded Ukraine in February 2022.While the Foreign Ministry didn't specifically detail its gripes with Raffensperger, they indicated that their targets included "those in government and law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called storming of the Capitol."Diplomatic relations between the US and Russia have hit a low since the start of the war last year, with President Joe Biden having emerged as one of Ukraine's staunchest allies in the ongoing conflict.The Biden administration is currently working to bring Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich back the US, but Russia recently blocked a request for consular access to the journalist who they accuse of acting as a spy.Gershkovich was detained in the country in March and formally <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/world/europe/evan-gershkovich-charged-espionage-russia.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> with espionage in April. The Journal has vehemently denied the allegations against Gershkovich.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger thanked Russia for putting him on 'Russophobia' list and banning him from the country: 'I appreciate them thinking of me'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Harvard University has become a flashpoint in the intergenerational divide on the Israel-Hamas war.</li><li>That's after student groups signed a statement that Israel was "entirely responsible" for attacks.</li></ul>In the 11 days since Palestinian militant group Hamas <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-formally-declares-war-on-hamas-seeks-full-control-gaza-2023-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">launched its terrorist attack on Israel</a>, Harvard University has become a flashpoint for intergenerational tensions about the war — and the broader culture war around campus free speech.It began when student groups at Harvard University signed a statement that opened with the following: "We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence." The statement did not condemn Hamas.Backlash from wealthy Harvard alumni and donors has been swift. Some firms rescinded employment offers to students identified as being associated with the statement. Similar incidents are taking place at other colleges.The flare-up reflects the tension for elite colleges as a bastion for radical campus politics, and their reliance on wealthy, powerful alumni who might hold different views. As Insider has previously reported, the views of younger Democrats and Republicans have begun to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/gen-zers-criticizing-celebrities-for-supporting-israel-2023-10">skew less sympathetic</a> to Israel. Here's what's happened so far. <h2>Hamas launches terrorist attacks on Israel</h2>Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a series of terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, with Israel retaliating. As of Tuesday, about 1,300 people have been killed and more than 4,200 injured in Israel, the <a target="_blank" href="https://ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-11">UN</a> says, citing Israeli officials. About 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and 12,500 injured in Gaza, according to the UN, citing Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.<h2>Harvard students blame Israel in a statement</h2>A collection of student groups that referred to themselves as "Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups" released <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyIBFcnMUNy/">a joint statement</a> on October 8 blaming Israel for the attacks by Hamas.The statement said the students "hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence" and added "the apartheid regime is the only one to blame" for the attacks. "We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians," the statement said.<div type="image" title="A building on Harvard University's campus" height="1407" width="2131" msid="104534793" hostid="261" sizebytes="456400"></div>The statement was written by the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and originally signed by more than 30 other student groups. No individual student was named as a signatory.<h2>The statement rapidly spreads </h2>The statement was shared on social media and quickly spread beyond campus, provoking angry responses from university alumni, politicians, and business leaders.US political scientist and author Ian Bremmer posted a copy of the statement and its signatories <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1711153384953348169">on X</a> on October 8 to his more than 700,000 followers. "Can't imagine who would want to identify with such a group," Bremmer wrote. "Harvard parents—talk to your educated kids about this."<h2>Political alumni criticize the statement </h2>Broader backlash to the statement began.On October 9, former Harvard President and ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/LHSummers/status/1711421307227607255">posted</a> on X that in his nearly 50 years of being affiliated with Harvard, "I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today."<div type="image" title="A photo of Larry Summers" height="2700" width="4050" msid="104534794" hostid="261" sizebytes="1575946"></div>"The silence from Harvard's leadership, so far, coupled with a vocal and widely reported student groups' statement blaming Israel solely, has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel," Summers wrote.Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a Harvard alum, <a target="_blank" href="https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/moulton-statement-harvard-student-group-letter-blaming-israel-hamas-terror">said</a> that he was "embarrassed" by the university and that the leadership's silence counted as "complicity.""What's happening at Harvard right now is intellectually weak and morally repugnant," Moulton wrote.Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, also a Harvard alum, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1711404354945569061?s=20">accused</a> the student groups who signed the statement of "blazing hatred &amp; antisemitism" that was "utterly blinding.""These hateful Harvard students are the future leaders of our society," Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RitchieTorres/status/1711369110339141674">wrote on X</a>. "May God Help Us."Groups affiliated with the university also condemned the statement. Harvard Hillel, a center for Jewish students, <a target="_blank" href="https://hillel.harvard.edu/israel-attacks">said</a> Jewish people had experienced "hatred and anti-Semitism" on campus since the attacks started and demanded "accountability" for the groups that had signed the statement. The center also criticized attempts to identify individual members of the co-signing groups.The original group that authored the statement, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and Graduate Students for Palestine <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyRMyl6JTjq/">said</a> it had been "flooded with racist hate speech and death threats," and that it was forced to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyO4NuXJyGO/">postpone</a> a vigil.<h2>Bill Ackman says Harvard should release students' names</h2>On October 10, billionaire hedge-fund manager <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-harvard-release-names-students-blaming-israel-violence-hamas-2023-10">Bill Ackman</a> escalated the backlash by calling on Harvard to identify student members of the co-signing student groups so companies don't "inadvertently" hire them. "I have been asked by a number of CEOs if <a target="_blank" class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1cvl2hr r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" href="https://twitter.com/harvard">@harvard</a> would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas' heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members," he wrote.Ackman's <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BillAckman/status/1711788747086233661">post on X</a>, which has more than 70,000 likes, triggered a broader debate as to whether the identities of the students should be revealed.<div type="image" title="Bill Ackman speaks at CNBC's Delivering Alpha conference on September 28, 2023." height="1330" width="1995" msid="104534796" hostid="261" sizebytes="144992"></div><a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-investors-harvard-student-names-israel-hamas-violence-ackman-2023-10">Other CEOs and investors</a> have also said they want a list of the students' names so they can blacklist them.<h2>A truck doxxing students drives around campus</h2>A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-student-letter-truck-on-campus-pictures-names-hamas-2023-10">truck drove through Harvard's campus</a> on October 11 featuring a digital billboard claiming to show faces and names of students associated with the letter, labeling them as "Harvard's leading antisemites," according to The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/12/doxxing-truck-students-israel-statement/">Harvard Crimson</a> and pictures posted on social media. Conservative group Accuracy in Media told The Harvard Crimson that it was behind the stunt.According to the Crimson, some websites released <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/11/student-groups-withdraw-israel-statement/">lists of students</a>, claiming they were members of the groups that signed the letter.Without explicitly mentioning the truck, Meredith Weenick, Harvard's executive vice president, released a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2023/safety-and-wellbeing-of-the-harvard-community/">statement</a> later that day saying that the Harvard University Police Department had stepped up its security presence on campus and was monitoring online activity. Weenick also shared details about resources available to students concerned about their safety and said that the university didn't "condone or ignore" intimidation, threats, and harassment.<h2>Business leaders cut ties with Harvard</h2>Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, who owns Quantum Pacific Group, and his wife Batia stepped down from their positions on the executive board of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. They also withdrew a multimillion-dollar donation that they planned to make, <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.themarker.com/news/2023-10-12/ty-article/.premium/0000018b-24dd-d010-a59f-bdfd59cf0000">The Marker</a> reported on October 12."Unfortunately, our faith in the University's leadership has been broken," the Ofers said in a statement sent to multiple publications including <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/business/harvard-idan-ofer-board/index.html">CNN</a> on October 13.Billionaire retailer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wexner-foundation-pulls-funding-from-harvard-over-stance-israel-hamas-attacks-2023-10">Les Wexner</a> announced on October 16 that his Jewish leadership philanthropy, the Wexner Foundation, had cut funding from the school."Our core values and those of Harvard no longer align," the Foundation said.<h2>Summers thinks the backlash has gone too far</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-larry-summers-bill-ackman-israel-hamas-student-names-list-2023-10">Summers</a>, the former Harvard president, told Bloomberg on October 11 that he thought Ackman was "getting a bit carried away" when demanding the university release students' names. He said it was "the stuff of Joe McCarthy, not the stuff of strong business organizations or universities like Harvard," referring to the former US senator."I don't think this is a time for individual vilification," Summers added.<h2>Harvard's president condemns the attacks, defends free speech</h2>Harvard's leadership team issued its first <a target="_blank" href="https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2023/war-in-the-middle-east/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=hu-twitter-general&amp;utm_medium=social">statement</a> about the conflict on October 9, saying that it was "heartbroken" and would offer resources to support students and staff.The next day, after the student groups' letter grew traction, Harvard president Claudine Gay issued an individual <a target="_blank" href="https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2023/war-in-the-middle-east/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=hu-twitter-general&amp;utm_medium=social">statement</a> in which she called the attacks on Israel "abhorrent."<div type="image" title="Harvard University President-elect Claudine Gay is seated during the 372nd Commencement at Harvard University in May 2023" height="2905" width="4357" msid="104534797" hostid="261" sizebytes="250772"></div>"While our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership," she said.But controversy continued to mount, culminating in Gay releasing a video on October 12 titled "Our choices," in which she <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2023/our-choices/">said</a> that the university rejects terrorism. But she said that Harvard also rejects harassment and intimidation based on people's beliefs and "embraces" a commitment to free expression, including "views that many of us find objectionable, even outrageous.""We do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views," Gay said. "But that is a far cry from endorsing them."<h2>Some student groups backtrack</h2>Some student groups that co-signed the original statement have since withdrawn their signatures. The Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyOyCuBOCn5/?hl=en">said</a> on October 11 it regretted that its signing of the statement "has been interpreted as a tacit support for the recent violent attacks in Israel."Harvard Act on a Dream, an immigrant-rights advocacy group, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/11/student-groups-withdraw-israel-statement/?ref=upstract.com">The Harvard Crimson</a> its signing was "a result of miscommunication and a lack of due diligence in sharing the statement with the entirety of the board."The statement was amended to remove the names of its signatories, and has since been deleted, though it's still visible on the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyIBFcnMUNy/">Instagram account</a>.<h2>Students hold vigils and rallies on campus</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/16/palestine-rally-photo-essay/">The Harvard Crimson</a> reported that more than 1,000 people gathered in the historic Harvard Yard on October 14 for a rally in which they demonstrated against Israel's counter-attacks and accused the university of not doing enough to support Palestinian students.<div type="image" title="Supporters of Palestine gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023. " height="3585" width="5378" msid="104534798" hostid="261" sizebytes="1593306"></div>The following day, another group gathered for a campus vigil in solidarity with Israel with speeches, songs, and chants, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/16/hillel-israel-vigil/">The Harvard Crimson reported</a>.<h2>Campus feels tense, students say</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-hamas-war-harvard-letter-students-feeling-strain-difficult-week-2023-10">Harvard students</a> told Insider that the conflict in the Middle East and the outrage over the student groups' statement were playing out on campus. One graduate student said that he hadn't expected to see so much backlash from business leaders.Some students said that this could ultimately have an impact on student speech, with concerns that voicing their opinions could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-bill-ackman-wall-street-law-firms-growing-rift-2023-10">impact their job prospects</a>.<h2>Rep. Elise Stefanik calls for Harvard's president to resign</h2>A Harvard alum and New York Republican is now calling for Gay to step down as the university's president.<div type="image" title="U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) delivers remarks to nominate Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Speaker of the House as the House of Representatives prepares to vote on a new Speaker at the U.S. Capitol Building on October 17, 2023 in Washington, DC." height="1256" width="1790" msid="104534800" hostid="261" sizebytes="72354"></div>New York Rep. Elise Stefanik <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1713982639705866453">posted on X</a> that Gay "should immediately resign for refusing to condemn antisemitism." The university was continuing to "disgrace itself on the global stage," she <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1712835517853614165">said</a>.<h2>Other colleges see similar flare-ups</h2>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-college-donors-pull-funding-over-israel-palestine-war-response-2023-10">heated debate over how people should respond to the violence</a> spread to other colleges.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-university-pennsylvania-penn-leaders-quit-antisemitism-2023-10">Marc Rowan</a>, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, called for the president and board chair at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater, to step down and urged other alumni to cut their donations after the university, he claimed, didn't take a strong enough stance against antisemitism. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10">Jon Huntsman Jr.</a>, the former governor of Utah, halted the Huntsman Foundation's donations to the university over its response to Hamas' attacks."I want to leave no doubt about where I stand," Elizabeth Magill, the university's president, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-college-donors-pull-funding-over-israel-palestine-war-response-2023-10">said</a> in an email to the university community. "I, and this University, are horrified by and condemn Hamas's terrorist assault on Israel and their violent atrocities against civilians."Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-professor-faces-removal-petition-after-pro-hamas-attack-article-2023-10">Columbia professor</a> be removed from his post after he referred to Hamas' attacks as "awesome" in an article.<h2>Companies have pulled job offers</h2>The law firm <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-harvard-columbia-law-students-lost-job-offers-israel-statements-2023-10">Davis Polk &amp; Wardwell</a> confirmed to Insider on October 17 that it had rescinded job offers to three students from Columbia University and Harvard University due to their alleged involvement in student organizations which issued <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-students-groups-signed-anti-israel-letter-without-them-knowing-2023-10">statements on the Israel-Hamas war</a>.And law firm <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyu-law-student-bar-association-president-blame-israel-hamas-2023-10">Winston &amp; Strawn</a> withdrew its job offer to a New York University law student for publishing comments "profoundly in conflict" with the firm's values. The student appeared to be the president of the NYU Student Bar Association, who had published a statement in the Association's newsletter saying that "Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life."

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