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Harvard admits more instances of ‘duplicative language’ found in President Gay’s work amid plagiarism claims

Harvard admits more instances of ‘duplicative language’ found in President Gay’s work amid plagiarism claims

Harvard admitted it has found more instances of “duplicative language” in President Claudine Gay’s academic work on Wednesday, as the House also expanded its probe into the Ivy League school, demanding to know whether students and the university’s leader were held to the same standards on plagiarism.  The Harvard Corporation, the university’s highest governing body, released a summary of a review Wednesday evening saying Gay will request three corrections from Harvard’s Office of the Provost regarding her 1997 Ph.D. dissertation, The Harvard Crimson reported.  Through additional review, Harvard said it found two additional instances of “duplicative language without appropriate attribution.” This comes more than a week after the Harvard Corporation said that while “an independent review by distinguished political scientists” of Gay’s work found “no violation of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct,” the university president would be “proactively requesting four corrections in two articles to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from the original publications.” Last week, Gay submitted corrections to the two articles published in 2001 and 2017, but Wednesday’s additional findings regarding her 1997 dissertation deliver an embarrassing blow to the prestigious university. EMBATTLED HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY HIT WITH MORE PLAGIARISM CHARGES On Tuesday, Harvard’s research integrity officer Stacey Springs reportedly received a complaint detailing more than 40 allegations of plagiarism — ranging from missing quotation marks around a few phrases or sentences to entire paragraphs lifted verbatim – regarding Gay’s academic works, according to a document obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.  House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., sent a letter to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker on Wednesday demanding more information about the university’s handling of plagiarism allegations against Gay and “the unequal application of Harvard’s Honor Code.”  Foxx said the committee “has begun a review of Harvard University’s (Harvard) handling of credible allegations of plagiarism by President Claudine Gay over a period of 24 years. An allegation of plagiarism by a top school official at any university would be reason for concern, but Harvard is not just any university. It styles itself as one of the top educational institutions in the country.” “Our concern is that standards are not being applied consistently, resulting in different rules for different members of the academic community,” Foxx wrote. “If a university is willing to look the other way and not hold faculty accountable for engaging in academically dishonest behavior, it cheapens its mission and the value of its education. Students must be evaluated fairly, under known standards – and have a right to see that faculty are, too.” The letter cites the Harvard College Honor Code that states: “Members of the Harvard College community commit themselves to producing academic work of integrity – that is, work that adheres to the scholarly and intellectual standards of accurate attribution of sources, appropriate collection and use of data, and transparent acknowledgement of the contribution of others to their ideas, discoveries, interpretations, and conclusions. Cheating on exams or problem sets, plagiarizing or misrepresenting the ideas or language of someone else as one’s own, falsifying data, or any other instance of academic dishonesty violates the standards of our community, as well as the standards of the wider world of learning and affairs.”  COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT IN ‘COMPLETE SHOCK’ AS MULTIPLE STUDENTS REJECT HARVARD EARLY ACCEPTANCE OFFERS “Does Harvard hold its faculty and academic leadership to the same standards?” Foxx demanded of Pritzker.  The letter concluded by requesting Harvard hand over all documents and communications concerning the initial allegations of plagiarism and the “independent review” of Gay’s scholarship described in a Dec. 12, 2023, email to Harvard alumni and students; all documents and communications concerning allegations of plagiarism by Gay and the university’s public response to media inquiries about those allegations; and a list of any disciplinary actions taken against Harvard faculty or students on the basis of academic integrity violations, research misconduct, inadequate citation, or other forms of plagiarism, from January 1, 2019, to present. Foxx also asks for any non-public guidelines or policies governing the university’s process for reviewing and adjudicating allegations of plagiarism and any and all communications between Harvard and its regional accreditor regarding its academic dishonesty standard. The fellows of the Harvard Corporation released a Dec. 12 statement backing Gay despite widespread calls for her resignation following her testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to address the rise in antisemitism on American campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Pressed by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Gay failed to clearly state whether calls for intifada or the genocide of Jews would violate the university’s code of conduct or policies against bullying or harassment. Gay issued an apology after the hearing, and the board ultimately stood by her while also addressing allegations of plagiarism regarding Gay’s academic writing first flagged in October.

Small town elected officials resigning due to new Florida financial disclosure law

Small town elected officials resigning due to new Florida financial disclosure law

A new financial disclosure law going into effect in Florida Jan. 1 is causing many small town leaders to quit their positions, according to reports. The law, passed by the state legislature earlier this year, requires local elected officials to annually file a financial disclosure known as Form 6. It replaces a predecessor named Form 1, and lowers the reporting requirement of liabilities and assets in excess of $10,000 to $1,000, The Tampa Bay Times reports.  The form is two pages to fill out, and asks lawmakers for their net worth, the dollar amounts of their income, assets and liabilities and interests in specified businesses. “Why did it suddenly have to become so invasive? We were already reporting our financial situation, but now they want it so granular that it almost looks like an attack on home rule and an attack on small municipalities,” Belleair Beach Mayor Dave Gattis said to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. “If we [are] unable to fulfill our charter, what’s going to happen? Are they trying to force us to dissolve? I don’t get what Tallahassee’s end game is here.”  MIAMI FIREFIGHTER AIMS TO INSPIRE MORE FEMALE FIRST RESPONDERS WITH AUTHENTIC DOLLS The wave of resignations is being seen across the Sunshine State, impacting communities of North Palm Beach, St. Pete Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Seminole, Fort Myers Beach and Naples, multiple media outlets state. Some elected officials who have not left yet say they plan to do so by Dec. 31.  Those who choose not to comply face fines or impeachment, WPTV reported. FLORIDA MAN CLAIMS TO BE ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA’ WITH TOP SECRET INFO TO GET ONTO AIR FORCE BASE, DOJ SAYS “Look, when you serve in public office, it’s an honor but it also comes with a higher level of transparency and public scrutiny than you would otherwise,” State Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, told the TV station. “And you know, to borrow an old adage — if you can’t take the heat, don’t come in the kitchen.” Roach handled the bill in the Florida House, and mentioned the long list of officials already required to do Form 6 includes the governor, Florida Cabinet, school board members, sheriffs and the entire Florida Legislature.  Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Form 6 into law in May. Some in disagreement say they will take their fight up to the state’s capital in the coming months.  “It’s just a complete invasion of privacy. For what we do in these small towns, we are volunteers; we’re not career politicians– we’re just doing what we think is best for our town and our city, trying to serve,” Belleair Mayor Mike Wilkinson told FOX 13. “We all have careers and families; it’s not a full-time position for any of us.”

Top political courtroom moments of 2023

Top political courtroom moments of 2023

The political arena in 2023 brought some standout courtroom moments, with cases involving a former president, the current president’s family, and sitting members of Congress. With the ramifications of each case still looming ahead of the 2024 presidential year, let’s look back to the top four political courtroom moments of 2023.  Hunter Biden plea deal falls apart President Biden’s son Hunter left federal court on July 26, 2023 after his pre-arranged plea deal with the Justice Department fell apart. The dissolution of the deal followed surprising revelations that Hunter Biden is still under investigation for possible Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) crimes.  Under the agreement, Hunter Biden would have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and avoided a full prosecution on a gun charge if he stayed out of trouble for two years. He’s accused of having a gun for 11 days in 2018, a period where he has acknowledged using drugs, despite a law prohibiting “habitual drug users” from owning guns. FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS FLOATED SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN, DOC SHOWS Judge Maryellen Noreika did not accept the plea agreement, questioning its constitutionality and the broad immunity Hunter Biden would have received, leading Hunter Biden to plead “not guilty” instead.  Since the dissolution of that deal, federal prosecutors have filed three felony gun counts in Delaware and, in December, nine tax counts in California alleging he schemed to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019. Trump takes the stand in civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James lawsuit Former President Trump took the stand on Nov. 6, 2023, in the non-jury civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks and inflated the value of his assets. The 2024 GOP front-runner has repeatedly cast James’ years-long investigation and lawsuit as a “disgrace” and an attack on his business and his family. Taking the stand, Trump deemed the case “a political witch hunt,” insisting that he was worth billions more, not less, than his financial statements said. Trump said that any misstatements were immaterial mistakes and that disclaimers effectively told recipients not to count on the numbers. The disclaimers said, among other things, that the statements weren’t audited. “This is not a political rally,” Judge Arthur Engoron bristled at Trump at one point, complaining that Trump was giving speeches instead of answering questions and urging defense lawyers to “control” the former president. TRUMP VISITS MANHATTAN COURT TO BLAST NYAG CASE, PRAISES APPELLATE RULING IN HIS FAVOR The trial neared its conclusion after more than 10 weeks when testimony from 40 witnesses wrapped up in early December. Closing arguments are set for Jan. 11.  The suit threatens Trump’s real estate empire and is attempting to stop him from doing business in his native state, alleging he overvalued real estate holding including his Trump Tower penthouse in New York and Mar-a-Lago residence and resort in Florida, as well as golf courses, hotels, a Wall Street office building and more.  The trial included testimony from three of Trump’s adult children: Donald Jr., Eric and their sister Ivanka, who was their fellow executive vice president at the Trump Organization before she left the company for the White House. Former Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen took the stand for James’ office. George Santos charged in federal court Then U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded not guilty on May 10, 2023, in the Eastern District of New York, hours after an initial 13-count indictment was unsealed against him.  Santos faces a host of charges that he defrauded donors to his campaign, lied to Congress about his wealth, received unemployment benefits while employed and used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing.  “The reality is, it’s a witch hunt,” Santos told reporters outside the courthouse afterward, accusing President Biden and his family of receiving deposits from foreign destinations without legal consequences.  Santos pleaded not guilty again in October to additional charges that he made tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors. He was ultimately expelled from Congress on Dec. 1, 2023, after a damning House ethics report, and a special election has been scheduled for Feb. 13, 2024, to choose his replacement. Democrats have put forward Former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, while Republicans named former IDF soldier Mazi Melesa Pilip as their candidate.  Bob Menendez indictment Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., his wife Nadine, and three New Jersey businessmen were charged in September in connection to a years-long corruption scheme in which the high-ranking Democrat allegedly agreed to use his position to benefit the Egyptian government in exchange for hundreds of thousands of bribes, including gold bars, cash and a luxury convertible. A defiant Menendez has refused calls from his own party members – from Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy to local officials – to resign, and has pleaded not guilty to those charges, filed in the Southern District of New York, as well as additional charges of acting as a foreign agent tacked on by the Justice Department in October.  Authorities who searched Menendez’s home last year found more than $100,000 worth of gold bars, as well as over $480,000 in cash — much of it hidden in closets, clothing and a safe, prosecutors say. Photos in the indictment show cash that was stuffed in envelopes in jackets bearing Menendez’s name. Investigators also say they discovered a Google search by Menendez for the value of a “kilo of gold,” and DNA of one man prosecutors say bribed him on an envelope filled with thousands of dollars. Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy, Jake Gibson, Brooke Singman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Republican Kim Taylor secures victory in Virginia House of Delegates race after recount

Republican Kim Taylor secures victory in Virginia House of Delegates race after recount

Republican Kim Taylor narrowly defeated Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams in their race for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates following a recount. Adams conceded defeat Wednesday after a hearing in Dinwiddie County Circuit Court in which a panel of judges reviewed a handful of disputed ballots. Taylor led by 78 votes, out of nearly 29,000 ballots cast, before the recount. The recount narrowed Taylor’s winning margin by 25 votes, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. DEMOCRAT SEEKS RECOUNT IN RAZOR-THIN VIRGINIA HOUSE RACE Adams congratulated Taylor in a written statement. “This race was far closer than many anticipated, and we petitioned for this recount to ensure every eligible voter had their ballot counted. With the final results in, it is now clear we came up just short,” she said. Taylor, in a written statement, thanked her volunteers and elections officials. “Although this was a long process, we knew November’s results would be upheld,” she said. VIRGINIA SENATE NAMES CAUCUS LEADERS FOR UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION Even with Taylor’s victory, Democrats will hold a 51-49 margin when the new House session begins next month, ending two years of GOP control. Democrats also maintained their narrow majority in the state Senate, meaning Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will have to work with Democratic majorities to enact his legislative agenda.