Ivy League probe, CosMc's, and Disney adults.

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Big Stories

MIT, Harvard and Penn antisemitism testimony spurs GOP probe

A Republican-led House committee is launching an investigation into antisemitism at MIT, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and other elite colleges.

• What happened: The investigation comes after congressional testimony from those colleges’ presidents this week in which they evaded questions about taking disciplinary action against those who called for violence against Jews. The testimony has been slammed by politicians, the White House, university donors, and others. UPenn president Liz Magill could be forced to step down for her remarks.

• Context: During an Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Tuesday, Rep Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) grilled the three presidents on whether “calling for the genocide of Jews,” was against the schools’ codes of conduct. Each president said it would depend on the context.

• Backtracking: After the hearing, the universities released statements condemning hate speech. MIT’s president posted a video saying the school’s policies need to be evaluated because hate speech alone isn’t currently punishable. While Harvard’s leadership wrote that calls for genocide against the Jewish community or any religious or ethnic group have no place on campus.

McDonald's spinoff CosMc's opening first location

Drinks will take center stage over burgers at a new McDonald’s spinoff opening this week.

• Details: The fast-food titan announced that the first CosMc’s will open near Chicago in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Nine other locations will open across Texas by the end of 2024. The concept is designed to fill afternoon sales slumps and capitalize on the fast-growing specialty coffee business.

• The menu: McDonald’s said customers can expect beverages with bold and unexpected flavor combinations, vibrant colors and functional boosts. The menu includes specialty lemonades and teas, blended beverages and cold coffee. Additions like boba, syrups, energy and Vitamin C shots will be available. A select few classic food items are also on the menu, along with new snacks.

• Meanwhile, McDonalds said it will bring its McCrispy chicken to nearly all of its markets around the world by 2025. The company plans to expand the fried chicken options into wraps and tenders as well.

Meta rolls out encrypted messaging by default for Facebook and Messenger

Users of Meta’s Facebook and Messenger apps will get a boost to security and privacy.

• Details: Meta announced that its Facebook and Messenger apps will now automatically have end-to-end encryption, enhancing user security and privacy. This means that messages will be scrambled, making them unreadable to anyone other than the intended senders and recipients.

• The company explained that a major overhaul was necessary to support default end-to-end encryption in Messenger. With the new settings, even Meta won't be able to access user messages. The update brings Facebook into line with other apps that offer top notch protection, including Signal and Apple’s iMessage.

• Safety debate: The expansion of end-to-end encryption could help protect political dissidents, human rights workers, and journalists who rely on encryption for their safety from authoritarian governments. However, law enforcement officials worry that increased privacy could hinder criminal investigations. Meta previously clashed with the Justice Department in 2019 over its encryption efforts.

Little Stories

U.S. News

• New York Democrats nominated former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) to replace the expelled former Rep. George Santos. House Democrats view the seat as a key congressional target and consider Suozzi a strong candidate for the position. (More)

• Recreational marijuana is now legal in Ohio. Those ages 21 and up can posses up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis in most forms and grow plants at home. (More)

• A Texas judge ruled on Thursday that a woman with a non-viable pregnancy can have an emergency abortion. The lawsuit was filed against the state after the woman was denied care due to Texas's strict abortion bans. (More)

World

• Investigators found that an Israeli tank killed a Reuters journalist near the Lebanese border in October. The report suggests that Israeli forces were aware or should have been aware that they were targeting journalists. (More)

• The Justice Department indicted two Russian intelligence officers for allegedly hacking into U.S. and British government agencies. Prosecutors claim it was part of a broader campaign to gather intelligence in both countries and influence British politics. (More)

• Peru is preparing for three days of protests against the sudden release of former leader Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for the massacre of 25 suspected dissidents during his 1990-2000 presidency. (More)

Business & Economy

• U.S. stock markets closed higher on Thursday (S&P +0.80%, Nasdaq +1.37%, Dow 0.17%). (More)

• The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to an average of 7.03%, the lowest level since August. (More)

• Levi's CEO Chip Bergh is stepping down, and Michelle Gass, the former CEO of Kohl's, will take over starting in 2024. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Masters champion Jon Rahm has agreed to leave the PGA tour for the Saudi-financed LIV Golf League. (More)

• An ex-Jacksonville Jaguars employee who allegedly stole more than $22 million from the team plans to plead guilty to a pair of federal charges.  (More)

• The winner of the real-life version of the popular Netflix show Squid Games has been announced, cashing in on the biggest prize in reality TV history - $4.56 million. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• A new blood test shows that individual organs can age separately than other organs and more quickly than a person’s chronological age. (More)

• SpaceX launched another group of its Starlink Internet satellites, marking the company’s 90th orbital mission of 2023. (More)

• The U.S. FDA is set to approve the exa-cel gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease, making it the first CRISPR-based medicine in the country. (More)

Extra Credit

Australian held its annual Mulletfest over the weekend.

These adults love Disney theme parks more than kids.

This South Korean artists uses her body as a canvas.

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