UPenn president resigns, NBA Cup, and the world's oldest tortoise.

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Big Stories

Penn president resigns after antisemitism hearing backlash

The president of the University of Pennsylvania stepped down on Saturday after facing widespread criticism for her testimony on antisemitism in Congress.

• Driving the news: Liz Magill faced severe backlash from donors and politicians for not plainly stating that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the university’s code of conduct. Shortly after Magill’s resignation, Scott Bok also resigned as chairman of Penn’s board of trustees. He had defended Magill through several months of criticism over the university’s handling of multiple incidents of antisemitism.

• Catch up quick: Magill, along with MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Harvard University President Claudine Gay, testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Dec. 5. Magill, responding to questions about whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate Penn’s code of conduct, stated that “if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes.” When pressed further, she added that “it is a context-dependent decision.”

• Unfinished business: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who led the questioning during the congressional hearing, said Magill’s “forced resignation” is the “bare minimum of what is required” and said Harvard and MIT should follow suit. “One down. Two to go,” she added. Of note, Magill will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn’s law school.

Israel's hunt for the most-wanted person in Gaza

Israel’s military is now focused on killing or capturing the most wanted person in Gaza: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

• Why: After over two months of attacking the terrorist group's positions, Israeli officials think that getting rid of Sinwar and his allies could speed up the military decline of Hamas and end the war that started with Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

• Catch up: Israeli intelligence suggests Sinwar escaped Gaza City earlier in the war and has been hiding in Hamas tunnels under the southern city of Khan Younis — where the Israeli Defense Forces have focused their latest ground offensive. Sinwar became the leader among Hamas’ prisoners in Israel after being sentenced to life in an Israeli prison in 1989 for murdering four Palestinians who were accused of being spies for Israel. He was freed in a prisoner swap in 2011 and went on to be elected Hamas’ leader in 2017. Israel says he was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack.

•  Cracks in command: IDF leaders said that Hamas militants are surrendering in northern Gaza, which they insist is a sign of the group’s military collapse. Hamas commanders who have been captured and interrogated recently claimed that “Hamas leadership, including Sinwar, is detached from reality and in denial" about the group's situation in Gaza.

Tornadoes hammer central Tennessee

Tornadoes and strong thunderstorms tore through Tennessee on Saturday, leaving at least six people dead.

• What’s happening: Officials told residents around Nashville to stay off the roads as recovery efforts began on Sunday. More than 40,000 households in Middle Tennessee didn’t have power Sunday morning. Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said in a statement that there is extensive damage to businesses and homes.

• Areas affected: Three people were killed after a tornado struck Montgomery County, north of Nashville, near the Kentucky State line. Twenty-three people are being treated for injuries at hospitals in the area. Meanwhile, in Clarksville, a neighborhood just north of downtown Nashville, another three people were killed.

• Damage: Social media photos show damaged houses, a flipped tractor trailer, and destroyed businesses. The National Weather Service reported six tornadoes likely hit Middle Tennessee. The agency is also surveying for damage of an apparent tornado in Kentucky.  

Little Stories

U.S. News

• In a last-minute change, former President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he would not testify in the $250 million civil fraud trial involving him and his company. Trump had been scheduled to testify Monday as one of the final defense witnesses. (More)

• Texas State Senator John Whitmire has won the election as the 63rd mayor of Houston, beating Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee with 65% of the vote with roughly over 131,000 early votes cast. (More)

• Changes in smuggling routes have led to a surge in migrants near Lukeville, Arizona, prompting the Border Patrol to request assistance from other federal agencies. (More)

World

• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali are scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss their countries' intensifying dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region. (More)

• The Chinese coast guard targeted Philippine boats with water cannons and rammed one, causing damage and endangering Filipino crew members in the South China Sea. (More)

• In his inaugural speech, newly empowered Argentine President Javier Milei presented numbers to reveal the extent of the nation's economic "emergency" and aimed to ready the public for drastic cuts in public spending. (More)

Business & Economy

• U.S. stock markets closed higher on Friday (S&P +0.41%, Nasdaq +0.45%, Dow 0.36%). (More)

• Major U.S. health insurance provider Cigna has decided not to acquire its rival, Humana, after the two couldn’t agree on a price. (More)

• Telehealth orthodontics company SmileDirectClub has shut down after filing for bankruptcy. The sudden closure has left some patients who are receiving ongoing treatment in a tough spot. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels won the 2023 Heisman Trophy with a stat line of 3,812 passing yards, 1,134 rushing yards and 50 total touchdowns this season. (More)

• Shohei Ohtani, signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal is the largest in MLB history by over $275 million. (More)

• The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament, the NBA Cup, over the Indiana Pacers. Lebron James was named tournament MVP. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Elon Musk reinstated the Twitter account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, citing a poll on the platform that favored the Infowars host, who is known for repeatedly claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. (More)

• Researchers have just unveiled the final meal of a 75-million-year-old tyrannosaur: two baby dinosaurs. The discovery provides solid evidence of how T. rex relatives significantly altered their diet as they matured. (More)

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data on Friday, revealing that approximately 3.3 million adults in the U.S. are affected by chronic fatigue syndrome. (More)

Extra Credit

The world’s oldest living tortoise celebrated his 191st birthday.

How the Christmas poinsettia became a $213 million industry in the U.S.

This vault in New York holds 5% of the world’s gold.

Crawling around public spaces is the latest TikTok trend.