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How the Decline of Western NY Defined Kathy Hochul’s Politics

23 October 2026 at 13:57
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s vision for New York has been largely shaped by her upbringing in a failing western New York town and her family’s move up from a trailer park to affluence.

© Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Gov. Kathy Hochul has won over the real estate community in New York City, but her politics and worldview remain products of her life in western New York.

Democrats lead Republicans by 37 points among likely young voters: Survey 

22 October 2026 at 18:37
Democrats are leading Republicans by 37 points among young voters who say they’ll definitely cast their ballots this fall, according to the latest Harvard Youth poll. On a generic House ballot, Democrats are ahead with 45 percent to 24 percent among voters aged 18-29, a 21-point advantage. Among voters who are certain they’ll vote in…

Spanish Students Protest Javier Milei’s Visit to University

21 October 2026 at 13:28

Demonstrators at Rey Juan Carlos University denounce his policies threaten public higher education.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Spanish students gathered at Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) to protest the visit of far-right Argentine President Javier Milei, who was scheduled to participate in a forum during his stay in Madrid.

RELATED:

Argentine Court Rules Milei University Funding Decree Unconstitutional

Armed with pots and pans, whistles, Palestinian flags, and banners, the students waited for the Argentine leader, who arrived at the university escorted by several security vehicles with tinted windows.

“Milei, fascist, you’re on our list” and “Milei, you rat, die,” social activists opposed to the presence of the far-right politician shouted in unison.

The URJC for Public Education Platform has called for Milei’s invitation to be canceled, arguing that his presence contradicts the values of a public university.

El fascista de Javier Milei se encuentra ahora mismo en el campus de Vicálvaro de la URJC impartiendo una charla, acompañado de Díaz Ayuso.

Las estudiantes nos negamos a que nuestros campus sean utilizados como altavoces para los discursos reaccionarios. No pasarán. pic.twitter.com/fkriIKhmnn

— Sindicato de Estudiantes (@SindicaEstudian) October 21, 2026

The text reads, “The fascist Javier Milei is currently at the URJC’s Vicálvaro campus giving a talk, accompanied by Diaz Ayuso. We, the students, refuse to let our campuses be used as a platform for reactionary discourse. They shall not pass.”

“The campus must be a free space where we can all express our opinions,” said Sara Pazos Garcia, a doctoral student in health sciences, who denounced the university administration’s failure to respond to her statement rejecting the visit.

Alejandro, a spokesperson for the organization Socialism, criticized the university model promoted by Milei and Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the conservative president of the Community of Madrid.

“They represent the same university model, which involves defunding public universities to drive the working class out of them,” he said.

The protest took place under a heavy security deployment, with dozens of riot police officers stationed in front of the library and six police vans on the campus’ main street, while demonstrators chanted, “Police out of the university.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

An Ode to Cancel Culture

10 October 2026 at 15:00

Professor Roger Watson reviews The Trials of Maurice Brophy, the new novel by Marcus Bland about a Cambridge academic whose life spirals after he finds himself summarily cancelled over his research on Wagner.

The post An Ode to Cancel Culture appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Investigate How Arday Was Promoted as Cambridge “Success Story”, Say Dons

8 October 2026 at 13:36

University of Cambridge academics have demanded that the Jason Arday review considers the university's culpability in promoting him as "a success story" based on his race, disability and personal biography.

The post Investigate How Arday Was Promoted as Cambridge “Success Story”, Say Dons appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Israeli forces demolish Birzeit University’s martyrs memorial

6 October 2026 at 02:10

At dawn on Monday, October 5, Israeli forces destroyed the martyrs’ memorial at Birzeit University. 

Basil Farraj, an assistant professor of philosophy and cultural studies at Birzeit University, told BreakThrough News that the Israeli forces came to the campus around a week ago to capture photos of the memorial, sparking suspicions that they may attempt to destroy it.

Farraj suggests that the removal of the memorial came as part of Israel’s broader efforts to erase the Palestinian people’s collective memory and entrench cultural, social, and political hegemony over them, specifically at Birzeit University, due to its pioneering role in the Palestinian struggle against occupation. 

“The assault on the memorial constitutes a cowardly attempt that will never defeat the resilience of the Palestinian collective memory. It also reflects the failure of the Zionist project in the face of the Palestinian people’s struggle,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, the Right to Education Campaign issued a statement, condemning the offensive, and clarifying that it was carried out on the first day of the new academic year.

“The destruction of a memorial to student martyrs is an assault on our collective memory, and our right to remember, preserve our history, and honour those who are part of Birzeit’s story,” the statement reads.

“This attack comes within a broader pattern of scholasticide on Palestinian universities and the systematic disruption of academic life,” it continued.

The campaign urged “universities, academics, students, human rights organizations, and governments worldwide to demand accountability, protect Palestinian educational institutions, and take concrete action to defend the right to education and academic freedom.”

The university as a target

In recent years, the Israeli forces have intensified their crackdown campaign on Palestinian universities across the occupied West Bank. There has been a particular focus on Birzeit University in northern Ramallah due to its pioneering role in the Palestinian prolonged struggle against the occupation. 

Not only have prominent scientists, political leaders, artists, and journalists graduate from the renowned Palestinian institution, but it has also long been called the “University of Martyrs” because dozens of its students and graduates have been killed at the hands of the Israeli military. 

Countless students have been arrested and the university campus has faced frequent military raids since 2002.

Read more: IOF abducts four Birzeit University female students at dawn

It’s Time to Fix our Universities

3 October 2026 at 11:00

Anyone over the age of about 35 has no idea how far Western universities have fallen into the mire of DEI, collapsing standards and Left-wing monoculture, says Professor James Allan. It's time to sort them out.

The post It’s Time to Fix our Universities appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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