Back so soon? Columbia University announced last month that former president Katrina Armstrong would be taking a sabbatical following a disastrous deposition before the White House’s anti-Semitism task force. She was to “spend more time with her family.” But she’s apparently had enough: Armstrong is set to resume her role as CEO of Columbia’s medical center in June, sources familiar with the matter told our Aaron Sibarium and Eliana Johnson.
At the April deposition, Armstrong said she had “no specific memory” of anti-Israel activists calling for the destruction of Israel. Nor could she recall reports that Jewish students were spit on or that a faculty member described Jewish donors in class as “wealthy white capitalists” who “laundered” “blood money”—incidents documented in Columbia’s own anti-Semitism report.
“The end of her brief sabbatical comes at a delicate time for the university and could complicate Columbia’s efforts to prove to the Trump administration that it is taking anti-Semitism seriously,” Sibarium and Johnson write. “More than 80 anti-Israel protesters—including an employee of Columbia’s sister school, Barnard College—were arrested last week after they commandeered a campus library and injured two police officers.” Among those arrested were several students who had been permitted to return to campus following previous suspensions, highlighting “the university’s failure to expel activists who violate school rules.”
READ MORE: Columbia’s Armstrong to Return From Sabbatical as CEO of Medical Center
GOP senators draw red line: A trio of Republican lawmakers is calling for any Iran deal to mandate the complete dismantlement of the regime’s nuclear program. Sens. Katie Britt, Tom Cotton, and Lindsey Graham introduced a resolution last week that would require Iran to “forgo domestic uranium enrichment, the reprocessing of spent fuel, and the development or possession of any enrichment or reprocessing infrastructure or capacity,” our Adam Kredo reports.
“Despite the clear language from Republican senators, the executive branch has sent mixed signals about whether Iran will be permitted to continue enriching uranium as part of a revamped nuclear deal—perhaps the most contentious aspect of any agreement,” writes Kredo. President Donald Trump has said he hasn’t decided on the issue, while Vice President J.D. Vance has indicated the regime “can have civil nuclear power.”
As the White House deliberates over whether to let Iran continue enriching uranium, a recent deal between Iran and Moscow “has the potential to complicate things.” Russian president Vladimir Putin has “agreed to extend a line of credit to Tehran, begin building a new nuclear facility in the country, and expand ongoing work at the Bushehr plant.”
READ MORE: GOP Senators Demand ‘Full Dismantlement and Destruction of Iran’s Nuclear Program’ as Trump Admin Negotiates With Tehran
Free the gas stoves: The Trump administration on Monday announced it would scrap “dozens of energy efficiency regulations targeting common household appliances that the Biden administration issued as part of its climate agenda,” our Thomas Catenacci reports. The sweeping action will save consumers north of $11 billion and trim the U.S. Code of Regulations by more than 125,000 words.
The regulatory rollback will affect “rules restricting sales of certain types of gas-powered stoves and ovens in addition to microwaves, clothes washers, dishwashers, faucets, shower heads, and dehumidifiers,” Catenacci writes.
“It should not be the government’s place to decide what kind of appliances you or your restaurants or your businesses can buy,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the Free Beacon earlier this month. “Everybody wants clean air and wants to lower their energy costs and run their factories good as they can.”
“The big hand of government doesn’t actually help that process at all,” Wright added.
READ MORE: Free the Gas Stoves: Trump’s Energy Department Axes Dozens of Biden Appliance, Energy Regulations
Away from the Beacon:
- Jeh Johnson, who served as DHS secretary under Barack Obama, has been named co-chair of Columbia University’s Board of Trustees, the school announced last week. What could go wrong?
- Hamas on Monday released Edan Alexander, the last known American hostage in Gaza, following pressure from Trump and ahead of his visit to the Middle East.
- During an executive order signing at the White House on Monday, Trump dismissed concerns about Qatar giving him a luxury Boeing 747 jet to be used as Air Force One. “I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane,'” he told reporters.
- According to Politico, a number of Democratic Party insiders are upset by Joe Biden’s attempts to return to the spotlight. “It’s time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle,” Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha told the publication. Amanda Litman, who cofounded the progressive group Run for Something, said every Biden interview “drags us backwards and reminds people of the older generation of Democrats that got us into this mess.”
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