Amid Trump and turmoil, Columbia University plays it safe in choosing a new president

NEW YORK — After two Columbia University presidents resigned in quick succession since campus protests began against Israel’s campaign in Gaza, the Board of Trustees is playing it safe and tapping one of their own to lead through federal funding negotiations with the Trump administration.

The board late last week unexpectedly elevated one of its two co-chairs, Claire Shipman, as acting president. While not unheard of, experts said it is unusual for a trustee to take the helm of a university, with the move being seen as emblematic of Columbia’s precarious situation.

After the federal government cut $400 million in grants and contracts, saying the university had not done enough to protect Jewish students, Columbia is struggling to navigate between President Donald Trump’s demands and the preservation of the school’s independence.

“Certainly, it is evidence that Columbia now is beyond skittish,” said Ann Marcus, professor and director of The Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy at New York University. “The trustees likely don’t want to take risks about an interim president. Shipman is the trustee insider.”

—New York Daily News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says sharing his beliefs on trans athletes wasn't 'some grand design'

LOS ANGELES — After weeks of criticism from political allies, Gov. Gavin Newsom explained why he shared his belief that it's unfair for transgender athletes to compete in women's sports.

Newsom, in a recent interview with The Times, said that although he had been deliberating over the issue for years, he didn't set up the interview with conservative personality Charlie Kirk to express his views and break news on his podcast last month.

The governor said the moment happened organically after Kirk "pushed so hard" on the topic and referenced a California transgender high school athlete who beat their competitors by 8 feet in the triple jump.

"And then asked me, 'Tell me, that's not fair?' And I looked at him, I said, 'You're right. That's not,'" Newsom said. "And so it wasn't some grand design. And I know, I know that hurt a lot of people. But respectfully, I just disagree with those on the other side of this."

—Los Angeles Times

More than a third of all Pennsylvania districts had teacher vacancies amid continuing educator shortage

PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania teacher vacancies dipped slightly over the last year, but more than a third of all districts in the state still reported at least one vacancy this school year — meaning thousands of kids lacked a permanent teacher, or were placed in larger classes for all or part of the term.

The numbers were starker in schools that educate larger proportions of children living in poverty and kids of color, according to a new research brief by Penn State University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis.

"Students most in need of well-qualified teachers tend to be the least likely to have access to them," wrote the brief's authors, Ed Fuller and Emily Walsh.

In the 2023-24 school year, 44% of Pennsylvania schools reported at least one vacancy; that dipped slightly to 38% in 2024-25.

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

China launches large-scale military drills around Taiwan

BEIJING — China has begun a large-scale military exercise around the island of Taiwan, the military said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The joint exercise involving the army, navy, air force and missile unit consists of approaching Taiwan from different directions to "test joint operations capabilities" of its troops, the spokesman for the Chinese military's Eastern Theatre Command, Shi Yi, said.

"It is a stern warning and forceful deterrence against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity," the statement added. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it had been monitoring the movements of Chinese military assets since Saturday.

The ministry told a news conference late Tuesday that a total of 71 Chinese military aircraft had been detected during the day, with 36 crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Additionally, 21 Chinese naval vessels and four China Coast Guard ships were observed.

—dpa