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Mandery & Dannenberg: Make elite colleges do the right thing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

Within the next few months, the U.S. Supreme Court is almost certain to rule race-based affirmative action unconstitutional in a lawsuit brought by a group of Asian-American applicants denied admission to Harvard.Harvard and other high-brow colleges could have responded to the lawsuit by limiting the significant preferences they give to children of alumni (legacies) and donors and ending the practice of early admissions — all of which disproportionately benefit white, well-connected, and wealthy applicants. Curtailing these practices would have created more opportunity for socioeconomically disadvantaged students and those from marginalized communities. It also would have partially counteracted the mistrust of elites that has become such a divisive force in America.Harvard chose not to change.The university’s indignant insistence on continuing its longstanding practice of what amounts to affirmative action for the rich needs to be understood in historical context. Harvard began inst...

Editorial: New VA motto reflects today’s military

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is commendably replacing its motto with a gender-neutral one reflecting a modern reality: women serve in the military, too, not just men.In an age where the term “woke” too often derisively greets such changes, consider an influential advocate for the update. It’s the well-regarded Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) service organization.IAVA, as the name suggests, represents military men and women from the nation’s most recent conflicts. The organization has been a powerhouse at the U.S. Capitol, where it played a leading role in passing legislation to aid veterans exposed to burn pits.The wording change has long been an IAVA priority. It began its update-the-motto campaign in 2017 in response to members’ concerns. Not surprisingly, the organization’s own leadership reflects the modern era’s more diverse fighting forces. Its CEO is Allison Jaslow, a former U.S. Army captain who has lo...

Lowry: Outrage of Jan. 6 shouldn’t be valorized

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

The philosopher Eric Hoffer famously wrote, “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”What he evidently didn’t count on was great outrages becoming causes.From the perspective of the immediate aftermath of Jan. 6, it was hard enough to believe that Donald Trump would survive the event, let alone make it a plank in a powerful comeback bid just a few years later. But there was Trump in Waco, Texas, opening his inaugural rally of the 2024 campaign with a recording of the song “Justice for All” that he performed with the J6 Prison Choir, with some scenes of Jan. 6 playing on the jumbotrons.Among those favorably inclined toward it, the riot at the Capitol has progressed from something to be minimized closer to something to be celebrated. For Trump, a master at appropriating the catch lines and attacks of the other side, reversing the meaning of Jan. 6 would be his most audacious move yet. How long ...

RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin get into dustup during win vs Cavs: ‘It probably happens more than people realize’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

A dustup on the Knicks bench between RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin had to be separated by Tom Thibodeau, who downplayed the incident as a normal product of competitive spirit.“The cameras are everywhere. It probably happens more than people realize,” Thibodeau said. “Heat of the moment. It dissipated immediately. If there’s a flare-up, go talk to each other. When they walked out together [on the court], I knew they were fine. And just move on. Win the game. When everyone wants to win, sometimes there’s a difference of opinion. Just put the team first and that’s what they did.”TV cameras caught the tense exchange between teammates during a third-quarter timeout.  It appeared Barrett was angered by something Toppin said and stood up to go at his teammate. Barrett was pulled away from the scene by assistant coach Johnnie Bryant.Toppin and Barrett posed for pictures together in the locker room postgame to demonstrate it was water under the brid...

Dear Abby: Ghosted by GF, then tragedy strikes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

Dear Abby: My first long-term girlfriend ghosted me. She died soon afterward, and I’m left with a gaping lack of closure. I’m 19. We had dated for four years and we were best friends. We didn’t live together, but planned to in the coming months. I intended to marry her.One day out of the blue, she cut me off. She had been acting depressed, but convinced me she was fine when I (gingerly) confronted her about it. She ghosted me the next day. She blocked me, changed her number and refused to speak to me when I showed up at her house. Everything to my knowledge had been fine between us.Weeks later, she had a terrible accident at work, and died in the hospital. I learned about it only afterward, from her mother. Her parents have denied me access to her room, to some shared personal and sentimental belongings and wouldn’t let me adopt her pets, which were sent to the pound. Most painful for me, they asked that I not come to her funeral. Her family believes that bec...

Security cameras capture person vandalizing menorah outside SDSU Chabad House

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Security cameras captured someone vandalizing a menorah outside the Chabad House near San Diego State University.The footage shows one person shaking the menorah until it begins to break. The incident happened sometime early Sunday morning."This time I think is really the worst out of all the incidents. The individual who did this came with rage and intention to destroy and hurt a symbol of peace and light," Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah said.Boudjnah said he believes the vandalism was deliberate.When a similar incident happened less than two years ago, it was also caught on camera. San Diego jury awards $46M to paralyzed jiu-jitsu student The Rabbi said after that incident the menorah was rebuilt and he started working with the university on a task force to combat anti-Semitism."The past two-and-a-half years, we had three anti-Semitic incidents, with the menorah being torn down," the rabbi said.The now-destroyed menorah cost about $7,000. The Chabad House has received an est...

Clark, Iowa end perfect South Carolina season in Final Four

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Caitlin Clark overwhelmed the reigning champions with another sensational game, scoring 41 points to help Iowa spoil South Carolina’s perfect season with a 77-73 victory on Friday night in the Final Four.The spectacular junior guard set a record for the highest-scoring semifinal game and became the first women’s player to post back-to-back 40-point performances in the NCAA Tournament. She now has the Hawkeyes in a spot they’ve never been in before — one victory away from a national championship.“We had nothing to lose. I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe right back in me, and that’s all you need,” Clark said. ““All we do is believe in one another and we love each other to death, and that’s what a true team is. If you want an example of a team, that’s what this is.”They’ll have to beat another SEC team to do that as Iowa (31-6) will face LSU in the title game on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers beat Virginia T...

Intensity and insults rise as lawmakers debate debt ceiling

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fights over increasing the nation’s borrowing authority have been contentious in Congress, yet follow a familiar pattern: Time and again, lawmakers found a way to step back from the brink before markets began to panic and the nation risked a dangerous default on its debt.But this year’s fight has a different feel, some lawmakers say.A new Republican majority in the House is itching for a spending showdown, and determined not to yield. They blame what they view as excessive federal spending for higher food and gasoline prices and the growing national debt. Led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, they have ruled out passing a “clean” debt ceiling increase even as the White House insists such legislation be passed without conditions. It’s an impasse that shows no signs of easing ahead of this summer’s deadline for action.“Very worried. Very worried,” was how Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a close McCarthy ally, described his outlook. “And frankly, I don’t see how we get there a...

Trump indictment ends decades of perceived invincibility

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump steps before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. It will also represent a reckoning for a man long nicknamed “Teflon Don,” who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny. Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to turn himself in Tuesday. He faces charges including at least one felony offense related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign. Like any other person facing trial, he will be booked, fingerprinted and photographed before being given the chance to enter a plea.The spectacle that is sure to unfold will mark an unprecedented moment in American history that will demonstrate once again how dramatically Trump — who already held the distinction of being the first president to be impeached twice — has upended democratic nor...

Harris seeks billions for climate resilience in Africa

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:55:51 GMT

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is pushing for $7 billion in private-sector investments to help Africa prepare for the effects of climate change.The announcement comes as she wraps up her weeklong trip to the continent on Saturday. Harris plans to visit a farm outside Lusaka where workers are using new techniques and technology to grow more produce, part of her effort to demonstrate ways to secure food supplies despite global warming.“The United States is committed to these types of innovative solutions to support climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience,” she said Friday during a press conference with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.The $7 billion announcement is the biggest-ticket item that Harris has unveiled during her trip, but more work will be needed to follow through.For example, African Parks, a nonprofit group, has committed to raise $1.25 billion over the next 7 years in order to expand its conservation program. Another organization, One Acre ...