Hamas Leader Killed, Harvard's President Resigns, NRA Trial in New York
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A top hamas leader was killed in lebanon's capital of beirut. The militant group accused israel of Carrying out the drones strike that killed them, as did lebanese leaders. Could this attack in lebanon on trigger a wider war? I'm laa afforded.

And this is up first from M. P. R. news. Harvard president has resigned after just six months on the job. Cloudy gay had come under fire for her congressional testimony about anti seventeen on campus and allegations of plagiarism.

Does her departure point to an even bigger political battle across academia? Plus, new york's attorney general is hoping to ask the national rifle association long time leader wain lip air from his position of corruption charges. How strong is her case? Stay with us. We'll give you the news.

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A senior hamas leader and six other members of its armed doing were killed in an explosion in lebanon.

Lebanon blames israel, which has not claimed responsibility for the attack. It's the first such killing after israel vow to target homophily als in other countries after the militant palestinian groups october seventh, attack on israel and lebanon these leaders have warned that the assassination could open another .

front in the war gaza, after joins us to cuss this from a man Jordan.

hi, labour.

So what do we know about what happened in lebanon.

according to the lebanese government and israeli drone targeted in office building in a southern suburb of bayreuth s day hama's announce explosion killed soa ali, he's deputy. He was deputy, had of its political bureau's, one of the founders of the organizations military wing.

And that's significant because it's one thing to target hamas leaders in gaza, where war between homes and israel has been raging for three months, but it's another to launch attacks in the capital of another country, israel and hezbollah around baked lebanese milita have been attacking each other across the lebanese border since the start of the warn gaza. But so far, theyve stayed with an a fairly limited zone around that border. Yeah, I mean.

you mention this is really different to attack in the capital live in other country. How have officials in living on reacted to these killings?

Well, there's a lot of worry. Lebanon's prime minister nj. Mcadd has said the attack is aimed at opening a new phase in the conflict of the lebanese border, and he is asking the U.

N. Security council to condemn the breach of lebanese sovereign. a. We have to note that israel hasn't claimed responsibility for the attack as you mention, mark reg v, an advisor to israeli prime minister Benjamin nya hoo, said in an M S N B C interview that whoever did IT was not targeting lebanon or, but the big danger is that hesba will likely feel compelled to respond in some way.

And if IT does escalate iran, which bacevich could get involved, his believe leader has unas. Rolla has said in the past that any in assassinations in lebanon will incur retaliation. And he's giving a speech this evening in lebanon, that speech to commemorate the us. Killing of iranian general classroom salomon y and bag dad four years ago happens on an already tense anniversary, but that might give us some picture of what's ahead.

Okay, what more do we know about the senior hamas? Later, rory.

while he was fifty seven years old, a shell who studied islamic jis prints in the west back, he spent years in israeli jail, and he became one of the founders of the military wing of her mos, which was established after the palestinian utilizing in nineteen and eighty seven against israeli occupation. He was deported in turkey and in lebanon. Importantly, he was the main lies on with, and is credited with building relations with iran, a SHE a muslim country while her masses sunni muslim. He was also involved in negotiations in doha over a ceasefire in gaza and the release of israeli hostages, which could complicate things and very quickly.

I know we talked a lot about lebanon, but what's been the reaction among palestinians to this year?

Lots of demonstrations in the west bank and general strikes and several west bank city to protest. But the day is still Young, and that killing really does raise tensions around the region.

Amber jane arrived talking to us from our man. jorden. Thank you so much. jane.

Thank you.

The search is on for a new president of harvard university.

Yes, six months after he took the job called gay, harbert first black president resigned yesterday. She's been taking lot of heat for her comments to a congressional committee about anti semitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism in her past academic work.

And by tobia, Smith has been following the story, and he joins us now hydra either. So what was IT that pushed gay to resign all these weeks later after the congressional hearing? Well.

IT seems that was these multiple allegations of pleasure that ultimately brought her down. There was, of course, fierce backlash to her testimony last month after he said that calls for genocide against jews would not necessarily violate campus rules. But at that point, harford still had her back.

Things really seem to have changed this week when we learned of even more allegations that SHE lifted chunks of language without attribution. In her resignation statement, gay said IT was difficult beyond words to have doubt cast on not only her commitment to confronting hate, but also now on her scholarly rigor. And he said she's resigning so as not to be a distraction.

Now I know this is happening during harvard winter break, and so there's not really anyone on campus. What kind of reaction are you hearing?

Well, IT split. There are those who've been calling for gazes resignation all along who say they're thrilled now that she's finally gone. That includes a harvard great student I spoke to named shoes stumble.

whether IT was her disastrous congressional testimony, whether IT was her inability to enforce policies about antisemitism on campus, or whether IT was creating a hostile cultural harvard, where people don't that they have the ability to exchange I D ones that are not in labor. At the moments just time and time again, SHE did the wrong thing .

and all that, that many people who have for gaz ouster have said that harvard problem is not a single person, but a culture. And that was also echoed by at least deponent, the congress woman who grilled gay and the presidents of pen and MIT. At that hearing, stephani said in a statement that her investigations would continue into what he called a woke agenda and political bias at harvard and at other campuses. Okay.

so how much do those comments from stephania about harvard actually point to a bigger, broader political battle here?

Very much as one faculty member I spoke to put IT, this is not about harvard. It's about new hampshire and IOS. Or as another put IT, um the committee is using the of fighting anthy's matisse to actually fight D I or diversity, equity and inclusion as well as to fight how schools approach things like race and gender. I spoke with harvard professor college gibran muhammed who called gaze resignation a terrible moment for higher ed.

That is the witch hunt that is unfolding right now, where the argument has now been extended in including gay as a first like woman as a diversity higher, who is oppositely unqualified, as proof that harvard had lowered standards and was being ruined from within. And that is not gonna stop at harvard gay .

herself noted in her statement that she's faced personal attacks um could fuelled by racial anemic and harvard sbox also cited racist vitriol directed at her.

Now that gay is out, what happens next? Who leads harvard with the battle over what speech is protected on campus?

Yeah, gay stays at harvard as a tenure faculty member and an international president takes her job until a permanent one is found but no, don't expect her resignation to be the end of IT uh, either in terms of the tussle over what's taught on college campuses or and where to draw the line between protected speech and hate speech on campus.

N P R. tovie. Smith to via.

thank you.

Jury election began yesterday in a civil trial in new york that could transform the national rifle association, the nation's largest gun rights group.

Yeah, new york attorney general letitia James is hoping asked long time in A A leader waylaid year on corruption charges. He's denied any wrongdoing. Three and other current and former n. Ri leaders are also named in the suit.

And P, S, brian man is covering this enjoys us now high. Brian.

hi. Good morning.

Good morning. So what are the accusations when appears facing?

Know the n rate was once one of the biggest political forces in washington and and state capitals around the country. The ordinary zone really succeeded for decades under the piers leadership, pushing the gun control debate to the right, blocking gun control measures even after catastrophic math shootings like Sandy hook and parkland.

And but beginning in twenty twenty, your organza began to unravel with internal fuse and accusations corruption. New york's attorney general, letitia James, began investigating, and her team says they found evidence more than sixty four million dollars in cash from nra donors was missed by layer and other leaders. The law, who claims the organza became a personal piggy bank paying for things like private jet flights to the bahamas.

This is a civil lawsuit, so there's no risk of jail time or criminal penalties for lop ha or the three others named in the suit. But if the na loses, this case layer could be asked to do to more than thirty years at the home. And new york officials will also gain a lot more regulatory oversight over the activities.

What do you look here and the say about these .

when the outset they have argued that this is an attempt, silence and weak in a conservative progne roup? Basically, they say it's a political attack by a democratic attorney general. The re. Tried repeatedly to have this case to Smith on those grounds, but their arguments have been rejected by appeals court.

So now we're going to trial IT is important to know that this case and they are going controversy surrounding up here have already really crippled the na since the lawsuit was filed in twenty twenty, they've lost millions of members. The are shut down their drug, not media Operation, even attempted, wants to file for bankrupcy and not here, who's seventy four years old now. Now, he used to a really high profile player in american politics, corded by presidents. And his personal influence has clearly win because of all of this.

okay. So IT seems like the n back on his heels here, facing serious legal perl. How has that affected the wider debate over gun rights and gun safety?

Now this is interesting. Before the era was hit by internal descent and these legal troubles, a lot of their beliefs about gun regulations had really been adopted wholesale by the republican party and by many of the top s core voter. So well, the is direct influences faded.

We haven't seen big changes to the politics of gun control despite the growing number of mass shootings ings in america, daily gun violence in some cities and and also a poll showing broad public support for things like universal background checks. The tops largely stuck to their argument that almost all gun regulations violated the second amendment. So the nra is a shadow of itself as this case goes to trial. But the nris ideas, they're still incredibly influential.

And pr, brian, man, thanks for your reporting.

brian. Thank you.

And that's a first for wednesday, january third. I'm lila folded. Today's episode of up first was edited by mark catou e. Michael Sullivan, Catherine LED law and delon IT was produced by the ad butch bena rooms and Taylor honey. We get engineering support from niche, a highness and our technical director. Is that common? The nvr able to keep public radio in your pocket, you'll find a mix of local, national and international news, plus the best podcast from the npr network 当 垫片 up。

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