A Chinese researcher that worked for Nationwide Children’s Hospital Research Institute in Ohio pleaded guilty in a U.S. District Court over his role in a scheme to steal American trade secrets on behalf of the Chinese government. Researcher Yu Zhou is just one of many foreign researchers that have been caught attempting to smuggle American research to foreign governments in 2020.
A report published on Sunday revealed that data stored by the United States Treasury was compromised by a sophisticated hacking group backed by a foreign government. The hackers also infiltrated the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The National Security Council launched an investigation into the incident after a meeting on Saturday at the White House.
A Montana high school has announced that it will reinstate a Christian student club after it was removed from the school’s list of recognized student organizations in 2019. The high school reversed its decision after Alliance Defending Freedom threatened to take legal action.
A student at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, was found dead on campus over the weekend. Campus police have described the circumstances surrounding the student’s death as “suspicious.”
The San Jose Unified School District announced this week that it has reaffirmed its relationship with local police despite mounting pressure from locals to cut ties. A group of activists urged the school district to remove police officers from the schools, with one school board official saying that protesters rallied outside of her home prior to the board’s decision.
A public record request revealed this week that police officers were called to respond to a drawing of male genitalia in a Missouri State University residence hall. The drawing was reported by a student to the university’s “bias incident” reporting system, which is utilized by universities and colleges around the nation to curtail politically incorrect conduct and expression.
Former Trump administration official Ric Grenell reportedly received death threats from two students that want Grenell removed from his visiting scholar role at Carnegie Mellon University. Two female students reportedly discussed their plan to kill Grenell in a since-deleted conversion on social media.
An analysis of public records in the state of Ohio has revealed that Ohio State University employs over 100 staffers in its office for diversity and inclusion. Salaries and expenses for the office reportedly cost the university more than $10 million each year.
The U.S. Department of Education recently launched a “free speech hotline” for students that are being deprived of their First Amendment rights at public universities and colleges around the nation. Students are also encouraged to email a dedicated email set up by the department to report censorship by administrators, professors, and students on campus.
A new report published this week by CNBC dives into the conditions at Boeing and the FAA that led to and prolonged the 737 Max crisis. The 737 Max fleet was grounded by aviation authorities around the world after two fatal crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019. Both crashes, which were caused by a flaw in the fleet’s flight systems, claimed the lives of all passengers and crew on board.
30 student organizations at Carnegie Mellon University have signed a letter urging administrators to cut ties with former Trump administration official Ric Grenell, who joined the university this year as a fellow at its Institute for Politics and Strategy. Grenell served as the acting Director of National Intelligence in 2020 after serving as Ambassador to Germany. Among other charges, students accuse Grenell of “sinophobia,” or anti-Chinese sentiment.
Dartmouth College announced this week that it is delaying its January campus reopening due to a recent spike in positive coronavirus tests on campus. Dartmouth is one of many colleges that has invited students back to campus for the spring semester.
Actress Lori Loughlin’s daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, said in an interview this week that she is the “poster child of white privilege.” Giannulli ducked media requests for months after her parents paid a $500,000 bribe to have their daughters admitted to the University of Southern California. In August, Gianulli’s mother was sentenced to two months in prison over her involvement in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions bribery scandal.
Howard University announced last week that MSNBC host Joy Reid will join the university as a visiting professor for the spring semester. In 2017, Reid faced widespread criticism over old blog posts in which she made homophobic remarks.
The Brazilian airline GOL will resume Boeing 737 Max passenger flights on Wednesday. The flights will mark the fleet’s first passenger flight in nearly two years. The 737 Max fleet was grounded by aviation officials around the world after two fatal crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019.
Facebook suspended the pages for a British historical society after falsely tying it to militia groups in the United States. The society frequently shares photos of its members participating in reenactments of famous battles in British history. Five of the 60 members of the society have also had their personal pages suspended by Facebook, which eventually restored all pages and admitted an “error” had occured.
Cornell University recently offered an exemption on its mandatory flu vaccine policy to minority students. A page on the university’s website suggests that “students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a Person of Color (BIPOC)” can apply to be exempt from the mandatory vaccine rule if it makes them uncomfortable for reasons that most may find perplexing.
A new report published on Monday alleged that Columbia University has failed to disclose a $1 million gift from China’s Community Party. The report claims that the university accepted $1 million in donations as part of its relationship with the Confucius Institute, a controversial organization run by the Chinese Communist government that has partnered with colleges around the globe.
A Harvard researcher from China pled guilty in federal court last week to lying to federal investigators over his role in an attempt to smuggle cancer research from Harvard University to the Chinese government. Over the past several years, dozens of researchers at institutions around the nation have failed to disclose their financial relationships with the Chinese government.
A monolith was photographed this week on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Similar structures have been found over the past few weeks in Utah, California, and Romania. Despite the viral monolith trend, this is not another mysterious structure that has popped up out of nowhere — it is a sculpture erected on campus in 1973.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison paid White Fragility author Robin DiAngelo nearly $13,000 for a recent keynote speech at a recent “diversity” event that was hosted by the university. However, a second keynote speaker, black author Austin Channing Brown, was paid far less than DiAngelo.
A monolith appeared this week at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. The structure is one of several that have been found throughout the world over the past several weeks, although the latest monolith has turned out to be less mysterious than its predecessors.
Senators are demanding answers from ExamSoft, an exam software company that has been widely criticized by students this year over privacy concerns and a set of bizarre rules. A student who took the bar exam using ExamSoft’s technology told reporters in October that he was forced to urinate in his pants due to the platform’s prohibition against bathroom breaks.
An 11-year-old student from San Joaquin County, California, died from a self-inflicted gunshot that occurred during a Zoom class on Wednesday. The student, a sixth-grader, was rushed to a local hospital before he ultimately passed away from his wounds.
The University of Chicago has defended a professor that was recently attacked by students for criticizing the university’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. In a statement, University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer reaffirmed the university’s commitment to free expression.
Cornell University student government leaders were harassed by their peers after vetoing a resolution that would have effectively disarmed campus police officers. One student representative was even pressured to change his vote by peers that shamed him for voting to keep campus polices officers armed.
Michigan State University announced this week that students residing on campus are academically out-performing their off-campus peers. An analysis conducted by researchers at the university revealed that students living on campus graduate at a rate that is 2.5 percent higher than those that choose to live off-campus. As a result, Michigan State announced that incoming students will be required to live on campus for at least two years.
Amazon announced recently that it will deploy machine-learning AI technology to monitor warehouse workers. The technology is designed to ensure that workers are following social distancing guidelines during their shifts. Similar technology will also be deployed to monitor the health of warehouse machinery.
Former FBI Director James Comey will teach at Columbia University during the spring semester. In addition to his teaching duties, Comey will step into a “senior research scholar” position at the law school. Comey will instruct the lawyers of tomorrow in a class titled “Lawyers and Leaders.”
Stanford Professor David Palumbo-Liu has been named the head of the “Committee on Campus Climate, Community, and Speech.” In 2017, Palumbo-Lui co-founded the “Campus Antifascist Network,” an organization that has referred to by Stanford conservatives as a “bona fide Antifa group.”
A new report published this week revealed that global smartphone sales dropped almost six percent during the third quarter of 2020. During the same period, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi passed Apple to become the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
The University of Notre Dame announced over the summer that it would cover 12 murals of Christopher Columbus with tapestries inspired by Native American artwork. Now former Stanford professor Carol Delaney, who wrote a book examining Christopher Columbus’ legacy, is speaking out. Delaney says she is “appalled” by Notre Dame’s censorship, claiming Columbus is “not the man” social justice activists claim.
Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 index on December 21 in a single step despite concerns that the move could impact the U.S. stock market. Tesla CEO Elon Musk made $100 billion in 2020 alone, making him the world’s second-richest man.
American Airlines announced over the weekend that it will charter five flights on the infamous Boeing 737 Max carrying only its own employees as part of a trial program. The FAA approved the fleet for a return to the airways in November following a 20-month hiatus that occurred after two fatal crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019.
An elementary school principal in Pennsylvania claims she was fired over a series of conservative Facebook posts. Amy Sacks was removed in July from her position as principal of Evergreen Elementary School in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. According to her lawyer, “Like millions of Americans over the last year Amy posted political memes opposing Joe Biden and other Democrats, while supporting the police and Republican candidates, on her private Facebook account.”
The New Jersey state legislature recently passed a bill that will install a new “racism” and “social justice” education program for students enrolled at public schools in the state. The bill will become law if it is signed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D).
Former employees of the popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase told the New York Times that they experienced racist and discriminatory treatment during their time with the company. The report comes just weeks following the adoption of a company policy that prohibited discussion of politics at the workplace.
The University of South Florida acknowledged this week that its Tampa Bay campus is located on land that was previously owned by Native American communities.
Princeton University announced this week that students will return to campus for the spring semester. Most Princeton students have attended their courses remotely since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in March. The return to campus does come with stringent rules — students will be prohibited from hosting visitors and leaving campus.
A professor at the University of Iowa has offered Thanksgiving meals to students that are stuck on campus as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Professor Elizabeth Pearce received an outpouring of praise and support after her message to her students went viral.
