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☆ Campus protesters are calling for divestment. Here’s what that means
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” protesters at Columbia and universities across the country have chanted. Student protesters who oppose Israel’s military action in Gaza are demanding that their universities sell investments in companies with ties to Israel. Pro-Palestinian protesters say divestment would send an important message of disapproval of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. But while demonstrators have spread their messages across the country, many schools haven’t acquiesced to protesters’ calls for divestment. There are historical precedents for university divestment.

Persons: Israel’s, haven’t, Columbia’s, ”, Christina Paxson, ” Nicholas Dirks, “, Dirks Organizations: CNN — College, Student, Columbia University Apartheid, Microsoft, Protesters, Cornell, Yale, University of Michigan, The University of California, University of California, University, University of Texas, Brown, Brown Daily Herald, Portland State University, Boeing, Columbia, Ford, CNN Locations: Israel, Columbia, Gaza, Dallas, South Africa, Berkeley

☆ Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewThe unrest at Columbia University isn't showing signs of slowing down. In the 1980s, student protesters at Columbia took over the same building and called for divestment of the Ivy League school's investments over a different cause: South African apartheid. Student protesters at the 1985 demonstrations at Columbia University. Protesters there locked and chained the doors to Hamilton Hall — the same building now occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — and demanded the school completely divest from South Africa. A more fraught situationOn its website, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group likened itself to the protests from nearly 40 years ago.

Persons: —, It's, Lockheed Martin, Alex Kent, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, she's, Barbara Alper, didn't, Ronald Reagan, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Nemat, Shafik, Nicholas Dirks, Divesting, Christopher Marsicano, Al, Marsicano Organizations: Service, Columbia University, Columbia, Ivy League, Business, Lockheed, Boeing, NPR, Hamilton Hall, Getty, Columbia University Apartheid, White, Student, New York Times, Times, Coalition, Columbia Spectator, Spectator, The New York Times, Hamas, University, Socially, University of California, CNN, North Carolina's Davidson College Locations: Israel, Gaza, Columbia, divesting, Hamilton, South Africa, Vietnam, Rafah, Berkeley, Al Jazeera

☆ How CEOs are preparing for possible employee protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

You can always choose to move on, but remember you don’t have a right to work at most companies. We can’t keep re-litigating when we also have a business to runYou speak with CEOs every day. Most of the CEOs I’ve talked to said they haven’t seen their employees protest, but they’re bracing for it. But I will say that I don’t think it will become that widespread because of how swiftly and unapologetically Google addressed it. I don’t think it will become a thing.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Bell, Johnny C, Taylor Jr, that’s, we’re, We’re, we’ve, I’m, You’d, They’re, I’ve, Royce, Peter Valdes, “ We’re, ”, Martin Fritsches, “ That’s, Brian Fung, Sean Lyngaas, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Northrop Grumman, Alejandro Mayorkas Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Google, Tech, Society for Human Resource Management, Companies, Royce, BMW, OpenAI, Microsoft, Department of Homeland Security, Delta Air Lines, DHS, “, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Cisco, ’, Civil Locations: New York, Israel, Chichester , England

☆ How universities are cracking down on a swell of tension months into student protests over Israel’s bombardment of Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Soon, dozens more students protesting the monthslong assault on Gaza were arrested at New York and Yale universities. Ash told CNN he was one of 20 students arrested following a sit-in on November 8. The charges were later dropped, according to the Brown Daily Herald, but 41 students arrested the following month in similar circumstances still face charges, which protesters now want dropped. Separately, the referendum on the BDS resolution “did not move forward because of potential conflict with federal and state laws,” the university told CNN in a statement. Police then were aggressive, Agrawal told CNN.

Persons: strode, –, Jordan Vonderhaar, that’s, Zach Greenberg, ” Greenberg, ” “, ”, Dima Khalidi, “, Greenberg, …, Arman Deendar, Rafi Ash, Ash, ” Ash, Richard Vogel, Jack Petocz, Petocz, Vanderbilt, Samson Zhang, Alexander Hall, Pitzer, Mita Banerjee, Banerjee, ” Arrestees, Natascha, Shubh Agrawal, Agrawal, Colleen Mastony, Israel, Grace Hie Yoon, Adam Lehman, who’ve, they’re, ” Lehman, CNN’s Dana, Israel –, Palestine Legal’s Khalidi, ” Khalidi, CNN’s Nicquel Terry Ellis, Chelsea Bailey, Isabel Rosales, Devon Sayers Organizations: CNN, New York’s Columbia University, Yale, University of Texas, University of Southern, Emory University, Boston’s Emerson College, Indiana University, George Washington University and California State Polytechnic, Humboldt, Bloomberg, Getty, Foundation, Rights, ”, White, Palestine, Brown University, Brown Daily Herald, University Public, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt, Coalition, ” Vanderbilt University, Community, Officer, Barnard College, Harvard University, Boston, Pomona College, Claremont Colleges, Pomona, Pomona College’s, for Justice, ” Claremont Police, Pro, Palestinian, George Washington University, University of Michigan’s, Investment, University of Michigan, Police, New York University, New, Civil Liberties Union, Anadolu Agency, Jewish, Hillel International Locations: New, Gaza, New York, Austin, University of Southern California, Atlanta, Israel, Rhode Island, Los Angeles, Nashville, Florida’s, Southern, Palestine, TAHRIR, “ City, Vietnam

☆ What is divestment? And does it work?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

From Princeton University in New Jersey to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the same chant can be heard: “Disclose! The specifics of student protesters’ divestment demands vary in scope from school to school. Other students, like those at Cornell University and Yale, are asking their schools to stop investing in weapons manufacturers. Other common threads include demanding universities disclose their investments, sever academic ties with Israeli universities and support a ceasefire in Gaza. Proponents for divestment counter that its value lies in raising awareness and stigmatizing partnerships with targeted regimes or industries.

Persons: “, ” Israel, Witold Henisz, Henisz, ”, Nicholas Dirks, ” Dirks, Dirks, “ They’ll, Anna Cooban, Michelle Bowman, Eli Lilly, Estee Lauder, Jerome Powell Organizations: New, New York CNN, Palestinian, Princeton University, University of Southern, Columbia University Apartheid, Columbia, Cornell University and Yale, Research, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, CNN, University of California, Columbia’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Dallas Fed, Samsung, AMD, Starbucks, Benz Group, Volkswagen, PayPal, adidas, Diamondback Energy, Restaurant Brands, Pinterest, Caesars Entertainment, PMI, Conference Board, Mastercard, Qualcomm, Pfizer, Marriott, eBay, US Commerce Department, Apple, Novo Nordisk, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Cigna, Universal Music Group, Hershey, US Labor Department Locations: New York, New Jersey, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Columbia, Palestine, Israel, Gaza, South Africa, Berkeley, United States, Europe, DoorDash

☆ Opinion: I’m a Jewish student at Yale. Here’s what everyone is getting wrong about the protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Opinion Ian Berlin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Last week, I sat in Yale University’s Beinecke Plaza leading around 50 classmates in nigunim — wordless melodies from the Jewish Hasidic tradition — and other Jewish songs and prayers. As a fourth-year Yale student, I find this characterization to be deeply frustrating, as it could not be further from the truth. Indeed, Yale Jews for Ceasefire exists because of — not in spite of — our Jewish values. Our present moment is a precarious one for the Jewish people, fraught with disagreement about what our Jewish values mean to us. At Yale, organizers of all faiths continue to build a community that is dedicated to moving forward in collaboration with, not opposition to, Jewish students.

Persons: Ian Berlin, nigunim, Ian Berlin Ben Weiss That’s, ’, Joe Biden, —, Peter Salovey’s, Nachshon Organizations: Yale, CNN, Beinecke, Occupy Beinecke coalition, Columbia, Palestine, Jewish, Israel, Columbia University, UN, Central Locations: Beinecke, Israel, Gaza, New Haven, Beinecke Plaza, havdalah, Egypt

☆ Columbia student protestors are demanding ‘divestment.’ Here’s what the university has divested from in the past
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Clare Duffy | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Columbia University Apartheid Divest submitted a formal proposal to the committee for withdrawing investments related to Israel in December, which has yet to yield success. Students at Columbia College, the university’s undergraduate school, voted to support the divestment proposal last week. Heading a nationwide South Africa divestment movementCurrently, Columbia lists five areas where it refrains from investing: tobacco, private prison operations, thermal coal, Sudan and fossil fuels — all decisions that were made in the past decade. In April 1985, students led a three-week student demonstration against Columbia’s investments in South Africa, the New York Times reported at the time. Pete Seeger, right, speaks to the crowd at Columbia University as hundreds of students continued to protest the school's ties to South Africa, April 8, 1985.

Persons: ” Israel, Catherine Elias, Daniel Armstrong, “, ” Armstrong, Pete Seeger, Frankie Ziths, G4S, Karla Ann Cote, divests, ”, Savannah Pearson, Michael Cusack Organizations: New, New York CNN, Columbia University, Columbia University Apartheid, —, Columbia, Columbia College, CNN, Coalition, New York Times, American Express, Ford, Ivy League, University of California, Johns Hopkins University, University of North, Corrections Corporation of America, Library, “, Columbia’s, Trustees, Columbia’s Teachers College Locations: New York, Gaza, Palestine, Columbia, Vietnam, Upper Manhattan, Israel, South Africa, Sudan, Los Angeles, Chevron, Berkeley, University of North Carolina, Hill, South, United States

Has South Africa Truly Defeated Apartheid? U.S.A., 2020 – 63% U.K., 2019 – 62% 60% 49% 40% 20% 1994 2004 2014 2019 Sources: Collette Schulz-Herzenberg, "The South African non-voter: An analysis"; Konrad Adenaur Stiftung, 2020 (South Africa); Pew Research (United States and U.K.)On a continent where coups, autocrats and flawed elections have become common, South Africa is a widely admired exception. −4% −6% Sources: Harvard Growth Lab analysis of World Economic Outlook (South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) and World Development Indicators (upper-middle-income countries). 50% unemployment rate 40% Black unemployment rate 30% The unemployment gap between Black and white South Africans remains wide. In 2022, about 6 percent of South Africans aged 18 to 29 were enrolled in higher education, according to Statistics South Africa.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, they’ve, Collette Schulz, Konrad Adenaur Stiftung, —, Walter Sisulu, Joao Silva, New York Times Jack Martins, ”, Mandela’s, Wandile Sihlobo, Johann Kirsten, Sihlobo, Kirsten, haven’t, Zinhle Nene, Peter Mokoena, “, Mokoena, Nokuthula Mabe, Mabe, Jacob Zuma, Chrispin Phiri, Cyril Ramaphosa, Israel, Sibusiso Zikode, Zikode, Mr Organizations: African National Congress, Pew Research, Human Sciences Research, World Bank, Black South, Charter, New York Times, University of Cape Town’s Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Economic Empowerment, South, Harvard, Economic, Government, Black, Mr, Stellenbosch University . White, Statistics, Security, JOHANNESBURG Jobs, JOHANNESBURG Sandton Downtown, West University, Education, Statistics South, General Household Survey, of, Stellenbosch University, Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, Institute for Security Studies, International Court of Justice Locations: Africa, South Africa, Black, States, Soweto, Kliptown, Johannesburg, South, Saharan Africa, Carletonville, JOHANNESBURG, Downtown Soweto, JOHANNESBURG Sandton, JOHANNESBURG Sandton Downtown Soweto, North, Mahikeng, Botswana, Statistics South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, African, Germany, Russia, India, China, Ethiopia, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, New York Times South Africa, Gaza, Durban, South Africa’s

☆ South Africa’s democracy is turning 30 – but a silent crisis threatens its hard-fought gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Soweto, South Africa CNN —Seth Mazibuko strides into the intersection of Moema and Vilakazi Street in Soweto, gesturing to the spot that changed South African history. Cars are used as roadblocks on June 21, 1976, during unrest in Soweto, South Africa, stemming from protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools. But as South Africans celebrate 30 years of democracy this week, many educators and activists believe that there is a crisis hollowing out the country’s education system – a crisis that threatens democracy’s hard-fought gains. Despite substantial education funding, South African students consistently rank among the lowest in global assessments of literacy and numeracy skills. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world and many university graduates struggle to enter the workforce.

Persons: South Africa CNN — Seth, ”, Mazibuko, Mike Mizleni, Prince Mulwela, Angie Motshekga, Motshekga, Nelson Mandela, Walter Dhladhla, it’s, Ann Bernstein, Bernstein, Morris Isaacson, “, ‘, ’, General, Mbali Msimanga, Atlegang Alcock, Mandela Organizations: South Africa CNN, Black South, Getty, Keystone, Hulton, “, Morris Isaacson High School, CNN, South, Basic, African National Congress, ANC, of Development, Enterprise, Corruption, South African Democratic Teachers Union, Cape Town Locations: Soweto, South Africa, Moema, gesturing, AFP, Africa, Canada, Kenya, Oshlange, Black, Durban, South Africa's, Johannesburg, Robben, Cape

☆ Fact check: Biden repeats his claim that he ‘got arrested’ defending civil rights. There’s still no evidence for it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

As in the past, Biden told the story on Friday while recounting what his mother supposedly said while urging him to accept Barack Obama’s 2008 offer to be his running mate. His mom, he said, did not want him to turn down a man who was vying to become the first Black president. No other Biden memoir, either, says he was arrested at such a protest. They include the false claim that he “used to drive an 18-wheeler” and the false claim that he has never earned $400,000 in a year. After media outlets found no evidence of such an arrest, Biden told CNN that he had been “stopped” in South Africa but did not mean to say arrested.

Persons: Joe Biden, Howard Stern, “, ”, Biden, Barack, Stern, ‘ Joey, —, PolitiFact, Oprah Winfrey, Winfrey, you’d, Biden’s, Nelson Mandela, Mandela Organizations: Washington CNN, Washington Post, Wilmington News, CNN Locations: Delaware, Wilmington, African, ”, South Africa

☆ What the pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses actually want
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Matt Egan | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“We are not going anywhere until our demands are met,” Khymani James, a student at Columbia University, said during a news briefing Wednesday. Student demonstrators occupy the pro-Palestinian "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the West Lawn of Columbia University on April 24, 2024 in New York City. The Columbia protesters are also calling for the university to “disclose and sever all ties” with the New York Police Department. For example, Columbia protesters want the university to sever ties with the school’s center in Tel Aviv and a dual degree program with Tel Aviv University. New York University protesters use the school’s Tel Aviv center as a rallying cry as well.

Persons: ” Khymani James, Michael M, “, Mike Johnson, Charlie Eaton, ”, It’s, Mark Yudof, it’s, ” Yudof, Yudof, he’s, Jonathan Macey, Macey, ” Lauren Post, don’t, Cary Krosinsky, Lockheed Martin, Basil Rodriguez, Rodriguez, ” Rodriguez, John Towfighi Organizations: New, New York CNN — College, Hamas, Universities, Columbia University, Student, Lawn of Columbia University, Getty, University of Southern, ”, Princeton University, Ivy League, Columbia University Apartheid, Columbia, New York Police Department, Students, Tel Aviv University . New York University, Republican, University of California, “ Bankers, Yale Law School, Defamation League, Post, ADL, Yudof, BDS, Universities don’t, Yale, Lockheed, Raytheon, CNN Locations: New York, America, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, New York City, University of Southern California, Harlem, Columbia, Tel Aviv, South Africa, Merced, Ivory, Iran, Russia

Nine people were arrested Tuesday morning at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus after they formed an encampment that went against school policy, the university told CNN in a statement. The university's Department of Public Safety received reports Tuesday morning of an encampment near the Northrop Mall on the Twin Cities campus, the statement said. Police arrived around 6 am local time and told those at the encampment "they were in violation of both University policy and state trespassing law," they said. Police asked the group to disperse by 7 am and told they would be arrested if they stayed. The university said in its statement it "supports and respects free speech through lawful protest" and "supports the rights of all members of our University community to speak and demonstrate peacefully."

Organizations: University of Minnesota’s, CNN, university's Department of Public Safety, Northrop, Twin Cities, Police, University, The, Staff, Justice, University of Minnesota Locations: University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Palestine

☆ Google has fired 50 employees after protests over Israel cloud deal, organizers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Google has fired an additional 20 workers that it says were involved in protests last week over the company’s cloud-computing contract with the Israeli government, bringing the total number of workers fired to 50, according to the group organizing the demonstrations. No Tech for Apartheid, the organizers of the protest at Google offices last Tuesday, said in a statement Monday evening that Google had fired an additional 20 workers, on top of the 30 workers terminated last week. We carefully confirmed and reconfirmed this,” the Google spokesperson said. The organizers of the protest, meanwhile, say that some of the workers fired did not cause any disruption inside Google offices. Last week, in the wake of the protests at Google, CEO Sundar Pichai sent a company-wide memo to staffers urging them to keep “politics” out of the workplace.

Persons: ”, “, Sundar Pichai, ” Pichai, Googlers Organizations: CNN, Google, Tech, Apartheid, Hamas Locations: New York, Sunnyvale , California, Israel, Gaza, America

☆ Billionaire Columbia donor Leon Cooperman slams student protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Leon Cooperman, a billionaire Columbia donor, weighed in on the crisis on the university's campus. Unlike the megadonor Robert Kraft, Cooperman said he's not pulling his donations. AdvertisementThe Wall Street titan Leon Cooperman is the latest billionaire to weigh in on student protests over Israel's war in Gaza. But unlike the megadonor Robert Kraft, Cooperman said he'd continue to give to Columbia even as he trashed student demonstrators. Kraft said he'd continue to support the school's Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, which is named after him.

Persons: Leon Cooperman, Robert Kraft, Cooperman, he's, —, he'd, Israel, Turkey —, Nemat, Shafik, Peace —, Goldman Sachs, Kraft, megadonors, Marc Rowan, Lauder, Ronald Lauder, Les Wexner, Claudine Gay, Liz Magill Organizations: Service, CNBC, Columbia University, Columbia, Hamas, Capitol, — Columbia, Apartheid, Columbia Students, Justice, Jewish, Peace, New York City Police Department, Barnard College, Columbia Business School, Hunter College, Kraft, Patriots, school's Kraft Center for Jewish, Cooperman, Yale, New York University, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Columbia, Gaza, Cooperman, Bronx, Israel, United States, Cyprus, Jordan, Turkey, Palestine

CNN —A rabbi associated with Columbia University’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus recommended that Jewish students “return home as soon as possible and remain home” amid ongoing protests denouncing the war in Gaza and demanding the university divest from Israel. Recent events at the university “have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety,” Buechler wrote in the message. By contrast, the campus Hillel said in a Sunday post on X that they “do not believe that Jewish students should leave” the campus. “Columbia students organizing in solidarity with Palestine – including Jewish students – have faced harassment, doxxing, and now arrest by the NYPD. These are the main threats to the safety of Jewish Columbia students,” Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a PhD student, told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, “, Rabbi Elie Buechler, Barnard Hillel, Jake Tapper, ” Buechler, Hillel, –, ” Jonathan Ben, Menachem, ”, ’, Yonah Hain, John Chell, Israel Organizations: CNN, Columbia, Orthodox Union Jewish Learning, Jewish, Public, “ Columbia University, University Administration, Broadway, NYPD, Jewish Columbia, “, Gaza Solidarity, Center, Columbia University, Columbia University Apartheid, –, Justice, Peace, Yale, Harvard, University of North, Boston University, International Court, United Nations ’ Locations: Gaza, Israel, of New York, Amsterdam, ”, Palestine, university’s, University of North Carolina, South Africa

Their friendship was tested in 2017 when then President Trump supported a blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Before the Oct. 7 attack, the Saudis were in serious talks, led by the United States, to recognize Israel. 8 of 12 Israel has a major incentive to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, for its part, would benefit from direct access to the Israeli military and technology sector. In March 2023, China brokered a breakthrough, re-establishing ties between two of the region’s heavyweights, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, brandished, Jake Sullivan, —, frenemies, Israel, Netanyahu’s, Trump, Biden, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin, Prince Mohammed, Bashar al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, Jordan —, hesitantly, Abraham Organizations: of Friends, General Assembly, U.S, America, Hamas, United, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Crown, Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea, Iranian, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, The, Trump, Biden, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, New York, Facebook Locations: India, Persian, Israel, Europe, Iran, United States, U.S, East, China, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan, Sea Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Assad, Lebanon, Lebanese, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Fatah, Israeli, Turkey, America

The new tents popped up — one, two, three — on Columbia’s campus. If university officials thought that getting rid of the encampment, or arresting more than 100 protesters, would persuade students to give up, they may have been very wrong. By Thursday night, the tents had disappeared. But scores of students took over a campus lawn. Planning to stay all night, they were in a rather upbeat mood, noshing on donated pizza and snacks.

Persons: ”, Layla Saliba Organizations: School of Social Locations: Columbia’s, Israel, Palestinian, American

☆ Google fires 28 employees for protesting Israel cloud deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Google has fired more than two dozen employees who protested this week against the company’s cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. The workers were dismissed after an investigation found that they had staged protests inside Google’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California. In Sunnyvale, they entered the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, according to a post on X by the group that organized the demonstration, No Tech For Apartheid. Physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities is a clear violation of our policies, and completely unacceptable behavior. After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises, law enforcement was engaged to remove them to ensure office safety,” the spokesperson added.

Persons: Thomas Kurian, ”, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Google, Apartheid, CNN, Tech Locations: New York, Sunnyvale , California, Sunnyvale

☆ Google fired 28 employees for staging in-office protests against the company's contract with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ana Altchek | Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Nine Google employees were arrested after protesting the company's contract with Israel. AdvertisementA small group of Alphabet employees' long-simmering protests against the Google parent company's work with Israel ended with more than two dozen terminations on Wednesday. Google fired 28 employees who participated in office protests in New York and California on Tuesday, the company said on Wednesday. Last month, a Google employee protesting the contract was fired for disrupting a talk in New York by the company's head of Israel. Related storiesMore than 100 people, including Google workers, protested the project outside the company's New York office in 2022.

Persons: —, Israel, Santa Clara County, Chris Rackow, Nimbus, Dzanh Le, Speaks Le, Le, Hasan Ibraheem, Ibraheem Organizations: Google, Israel, Service, Amazon, New York . Police, New York Police Department, Tech, Apartheid, Hamas, BI, Sunnyvale Police, Bloomberg Locations: California, New York, Sunnyvale , California, New York City, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Israel, York, Google's New York City

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and Brown University have recently taken swift and decisive action against student protesters, including making arrests. And on Thursday, Columbia University hit its limit with student protesters who had set up dozens of tents on campus, sending in the New York Police Department to make arrests. Image At Columbia, officials cracked down on students who had erected tents on campus. Muncy for The New York TimesImage The New York Police Department arrested protesters at Columbia University. “But now we’re seeing that as an immediate response.”In her congressional testimony, Dr. Shafik revealed that 15 Columbia students have been suspended in recent weeks.

Persons: “, Santa J, Ono, ”, Nemat Shafik, Recalibrating, Rosy Fitzgerald, didn’t, Shafik, Nicole Hester, Donald J, Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt, “ They’re, Diermeier, —, Tracy Arwari, Ms, Arwari, Suzanne Nossel, Nossel, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Ezri Tyler, Tyler, Dan Korobkin, Colleen Mastony, Jacob Mchangama, Mr, Mchangama Organizations: University of, University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , New York University, Brown University, Columbia University, New York Police Department, Columbia, Credit, The New York Times, Columbia University . Credit, The New York Times College, Republican, Institute for Middle, Vanderbilt, USA, Network Vanderbilt University, Pomona College, School, Pomona, PEN America, The New York Times Students, “, American Civil Liberties Union, ” Locations: Santa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ,, Columbia, C.S, Muncy, Israel, Vietnam, Southern California, Pomona, “, Michigan, . Michigan

☆ South Africa’s 2024 National Election: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This year is the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections, but millions of people continue to suffer from economic challenges similar to those during apartheid. Most Black South Africans do not earn enough to meet their basic needs. All this has placed the African National Congress, the liberation party that has governed since the start of South Africa’s democracy, under more pressure than ever before as it enters an election on May 29. In the six previous national elections, the party comfortably won an absolute majority in Parliament, allowing it to govern as it wished. The party has also had to work hard to heal its internal divisions and address corruption among its ranks.

Organizations: African National Congress

☆ Google terminates 28 employees after multi-city protests: Read the full memo
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Google workers have the right to peacefully protest about terms and conditions of our labor. Last month, Google Cloud engineer Eddie Hatfield interrupted a keynote speech from the managing director of Google's Israel business stating, "I refuse to build technology that powers genocide." That same week, an internal Google employee message board was shut down after staffers posted comments about the company's Israeli military contracts. The Israeli Ministry of Defense reportedly sought consulting services from Google to expand its access to Google Cloud services. "A small number of employee protesters entered and disrupted a few of our locations," a Google spokesperson told CNBC Wednesday evening.

Persons: Thomas Kurian's, Chris Rackow, Googlers, Cheyne Anderson, Anderson, Eddie Hatfield, Hatfield, Israel, Ariel Koren, It's, Hasan Ibraheem, Ibraheem Organizations: Google, CNBC, Google Cloud, Apartheid, Protesters, Hamas, enclave's Health Ministry, Israeli Ministry of Defense, The New York Times, Security, New Locations: New York, Sunnyvale , California, Sunnyvale, Seattle, Washington, Israel, Gaza, South Africa, York, New York City

☆ Google workers arrested after nine-hour protest in cloud chief's office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Nine Google workers were arrested on trespassing charges Tuesday night after staging a sit-in at the company's offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, including a protest in Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian's office. Anderson had flown to Sunnyvale for the protest in Kurian's office and was one of the workers arrested Tuesday. Last month, Google Cloud engineer Eddie Hatfield interrupted a keynote speech from the managing director of Google's Israel business stating, "I refuse to build technology that powers genocide." The Israeli Ministry of Defense reportedly sought consulting services from Google to expand its access to Google Cloud services. "A small number of employee protesters entered and disrupted a couple of our locations," a Google spokesperson told CNBC.

Persons: Thomas Kurian's, Cheyne Anderson, Anderson, Eddie Hatfield, Hatfield, Israel, Ariel Koren, It's, Hasan Ibraheem, Ibraheem, Googlers Organizations: Google Cloud, Apartheid, Google, CNBC, Hamas, enclave's Health Ministry, Israeli Ministry of Defense, The New York Times, Security, New, Sunnyvale Locations: New York, Sunnyvale , California, Sunnyvale, Seattle, Washington, Israel, Gaza, South Africa, York, New York City

☆ Trump’s first criminal trial is a historic and solemn moment for America
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The United States, unlike democracies that have been historically less stable, is not a nation accustomed to seeing its former heads of state on trial. This is one reason why Trump’s 2024 campaign is running as much through the courtrooms as according to the traditional rhythms of a White House bid. It’s very unfair that I’m having a trial there,” Trump said on Friday, alluding to New York City’s liberal lean. The deteriorating situation could bolster Trump’s claims the world is spinning out of control under his successor’s watch. Merchan has declined efforts by the president’s attorneys to get the trial relocated to a jurisdiction where voters may be more favorable to Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Biden, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Juan Merchan, Judge Arthur Engoron, Joe Biden, “, that’s, Robert Hirschhorn, ” Trump, he’s, Nelson Mandela, Alexey Navalny, Bragg, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, ” Bragg, ” Trump’s, …, Norm Eisen, ” Eisen, Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith, Michael Cohen, Merchan, Cohen Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Attorney, Democrat, Conservative Political, Conference, Biden, White House, Prosecutors Locations: United States, Manhattan, New York, Pennsylvania, Israel, Iran

☆ Trump targets two likely witnesses ahead of his criminal trial, despite gag order
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump on Saturday took aim at two likely witnesses in his upcoming New York hush money trial, testing the boundaries of a gag order that prohibits such public statements. The social media post is the latest challenge to the limits of a gag order that forbids Trump from making public statements about likely witnesses and jurors. In the weeks since, Trump has repeatedly gambled on the limits of the gag order. It would not be the first time Trump has faced consequences for disobeying a gag order. In a separate trial in October, Judge Arthur Engoron fined Trump $10,000 for gag order violations.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, POMERANTZ, Trump, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Juan Merchan, Daniels, Nelson Mandela, Judge Arthur Engoron Organizations: Trump Organization, Court, Manhattan District Attorney, New York, Trump, Democratic Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, York, South Africa

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