angela, are you surprised that president mcgill decided to tendered her resignation?i cannot see i am. the only surprise here is she lasted this long. someone who cannot unequivocably condemn calls for genocide has no business being at the helm of a tax payer supported university plus she clearly did not know her own student code of conduct. i looked up the student handbook at mit, you penn and harvard all explicitly banned religious discrimination. for her not to know that and for her also to not understand title vi of the civil rights act banning discrimination based on national origin, i believe that lack of knowledge is extremely disqualifying. jon: it was really congresswoman elise who elicited some of the most damaging statements or non- statements from these college presidents wouldn't you say? to her question there's also a congressman who asked these college presidents what have you done to hold people accountable for the anti-semitism on your campus who has been a punished question mccue has been fired the absolute was absolute crickets is why the most awkwa

mcgill and the presidents of harvard and m.i.t. struggled to answer a congress member's question about where their universities would draw the line. >> specifically calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment? >> if it is directed and severe and pervasive, it is harassment. >> so the answer is yes. >> it is a context dependent decision. >> that is your testimony, calling r the genocide of jews is defending on the context? >> that congresswoman had a blunt response, one do, two to go. and some jewish u penn students said they hope her resignation will bring positive changes. >> it became clear that president mcgill didn't really seem to have a strong xwrach on the situation on the ground. >> there is a lot of tension on campus. and i really hope a lot of it starts to go down and people start to calm down a little bit. >> mcgill's resignation also comes after a a wealthy alumnus threatened to withdraw a $100 million donation. polo sandoval pexplains what happened. >> reporter: in back to back resigna

of trustees after mcgill and the presidents of harvard and m.i.t.e asked about anti-semitism on campus and gave answers that shocked students, faculty, and many in congress. two students have sued alleging a hostile education environment. >> i fear this has been a problem for a long time coming. i think what the congressional hearing showed the world is what a lot of us have been saying for awhile, is that there is an indifference to anti-semitism and a culture of hostility that has been brewing on campus for some time now. and i think if the true culture of change is meant to happen and should happen, then mcgill is just one figure that has allowed this to happen. and there are continuous steps that need to be taken in order to safeguard and protect all students on campus from such hatred and hostility. >> mcgill's resignation also comes after a wealthy alumnus threatened to withdraw a $100 million donation. cnn's polo sandoval explains what happened. >> reporter: in back-to-back resignations, the president of university of pennsylvania announcing

this is the easiest question to answer yes mesa mcgill. that was your testimony that you will not answer yes? >> if. >> yes or no pay. >> if the speech becomes conduct it can be harassment yes. quick. eric: context? what was your reaction when she was saying that. franklin delano roosevelt went to harvard. but with the president of the united states to lead this nation and freed in the world for democracy against the nazis and adolf hitler, what would he say? would he sa say it was hitler's context dependent? >> know what. we have to condemn these comments every time they come out. we cannot tolerate taxpayer dollars going to institutions that allow for anti-semitism and for calling for genocide of the jews this is got to stop. stay for you know what president trump did in 2019 they added anti-semitism to the title of the civil rights law you think these universe of their funding pulled with ac lawsuits because anti-semitism is part of protecting civil rights in this nation. >> that is what we look for an hour investigation of these campus

katy, liz mcgill is not resigning as a pre president ofu penn.ation comes only very intensive public backlash over the past couple of days as well as costing the university at unt least $100 million in donations that we know of a publicly so far. >> it's important to point out while she is resigning as president of the university she's going to be staying as professor at the law school. she has not had full consequences for what's happened here she will no longer be in a leadership position. this comes down to a problem we are seeing that's not going to be resolved by university president resigning. the faculty part petition the students about this ideology that's rearing its head on the university's the problem they ran into mostly with the testimony they gave is these universities have extensive policies and handbooks about nondiscrimination and non- harassment they apply that to a lot of different groups except for jewish students. that is inherently -- it is discrimination against students and a violation of the rights on campus. they have to

going back to the president, president mcgill, there is clear anger about that.to let you know, there is a public petition calling on her to resign. it has gone at more than 24,000 signatures. even pennsylvania's governor has said that the board needs to make serious decisions about her future. host: thank you so much. now the anti-defamation league conducted a survey last month that found that three fourths of jewish students say they feel significantly less safe since the october 7 attack. we spoke to a ceo of the adl about that and those calls for the president of the university of pennsylvania to resign. there are growing calls for the president of the university of pennsylvania to resign within her university -- to resign, within her university also those calls are coming. >> president mcgill and the other university presidents who testified in congress last week, i think their performance was catastrophic but also clarifying. it was clarifying in that i have heard for a long time that students at penn and other campuses don't feel protected by their adminis

mcgill. yes nor. >> it can be depending upon the context? >> what is the context? >> targeted as an individual. >> it is targeted as jewish students and jewish individuals, and do you understand that your testimony is dehumanizing them, and do you understand that dehumanization is part of anti-semitism. >> joining us is director of the anti-defamation league jonathan green greenblatt and when you saw that moment, what did you think? >> it was catastrophic and clarifying, because i have heard from dozens and dozens of jewish students in the last few weeks and let alone the last few months of feeling literally unsafe on campus, and considering moving out of the dorms altogether, and considering leaving and transferring out of the universities all together, because they have told me that at ivy league schools they are not feeling safe. guess what, now we know why, because they are not. because their college presidents with the ph.d.s and the fancy degrees failed to do if basics that a third grade teacher understands which is you keep all of your students safe. so, i m

the board of the university's prestigious school business : mcgill to step down.mmett the blowback mcgill tried to clarify her remarks on social media. >> i want to be clear a call for genocide of jewish people is threatening deeply so. >> many including congresswoman elise said damage was already done. taking to x this afternoon saying in part of missiles resignation, this is only the beginning of the pervasive rock of anti-semitism that's destroyed the most prestigious education education in america and the same post stefanik call for presidents and harvard mit to step down while promising a robust cover has a congressional investigation and how the three elite schools handled anti-semitism on its campuses. >> cb cotton, thank you. let's discuss, i'll go to the girl wearing blue, that is narrow things down much, does it? >> i digress. >> in all seriousness, the president of harvard cb talked about if mcgill is gone at ten, you got to think gate is gone at harvard next because money talks. >> think of big donors, threatening to pull $100 million donation and want

so a lot of pressure building on president mcgill here at the university of pennsylvania.e will see what happens today. fred? >> all right. athena jones, thank you. keep us posted. john? >>> all right. developing this morning, an alabama woman is under arrest charged with trying to set fire to the birth home of dr. martin luther king jr. witnesses stopped the woman after police say they watched her pour gas on the national landmark in atlanta. she faces multiple charges this morning. cnn's isabel rosales is outside the house. what's the latest? >> re can you hear us? isabel, can you hear us in new york? all right. hang on one second. >> reporter: all right. fred -- john, sorry for that, a couple of audio issues here. i can tell you some new information that we got from the national park service this morning from historical architect who says thankfully there is no permanent damage to the property here. it doesn't appear that there's any permanent damage, however, there is still a strong odor coming from the property that they are allowing that to air out and then, of cours

then on saturday u penn announced president liz mcgill's resignation. one editorial board says quote, one awful university precedent down. most of u.s. academia to go. another the ivy league mask falls. it argues this, the furor over anti-semitism on campus is a rare and welcome example of accountability at american universities. but it will not amount to much if the only result is the resignation of a couple of university presidents. mcgill will stay on until an interim replacement is named and also still a tenured faculty member at u penn's law school. hugo gurdon weighed in. >> the departure of liz mcgill is a small step in what needs to be a marathon. the other two who testified in congress the other day they are just as bad and need to go. >> sandra: lawmakers demanding more accountability. >> we will subpoena their records, emails, any documents, anything that proves that these universities aren't creating a safe environment for their jewish students and if they aren't, then we will pull their federal funding. that's the bottom line. there is a gi

liz mcgill made an unfortunate misstep, he said. and he writes, following that, it became clear that her position was no longer tenable, and she and i concurrently decided it was time for her to exit. bach also defending mcgill, calling her a good person, a talented leader, and, in his words, not the slightest built anti-semitic. also interesting in his statement, he offered potential insight into what may have been mcgill's state of mind at the time of that disastrous hearing. as bok wrote she was not herself at the time she was being questioned by lawmakers, that she was, quote, over-prepared, over-lawyered, and she provided a legalistic answer to a moral question, and that, bok says, was wrong. >> polo, thanks so much. >>> still ahead, the house could vote on an impeachment inquiry into president biden this week. how it's expected to play out and what the white house is saying about it. >>> plus, as the humanitarian crisis deepens in gaza, the war between israel and hamas is taking a toll on children. >>> president biden back at

mcgill same question? >> i agree chairwoman foxx state of israel has the right to exist for. >> doctor kornbluth? >> absolutely israel has the a t to exist. >> him to thank our witnesses again for being here. and to say we will follow up on to tell you that while we have talked about a larger culture out there it is the universities who should be examples of what this nation is all about. i yield back and i recognize the distinguished ranking member who is want me too recognize. chairman foxx want to thank you for the moment of silence they want her to 37 hostages that are still being held to this day. we had hearing a couple weeks ago anti-semitism where i shared with my colleagues on the witnesses a dual u.s. israeli citizen with family and waterford, connecticut was one of those being held at the time. and we thought her husband the goodness is a week ago he was released and the israeli military shared with the family the human remains which were found at the kibbutz were the violent attack took place u

what's next here is the university says liz mcgill will stay on until it names an interim president. and also remain a tenured faculty member at the university of pennsylvania. meanwhile, calls are growing this morning for the presidents of harvard and m.i.t. to step down as well. in cambridge, massachusetts, check out this video from fox news digital. anonymous private funder paid to put these two billboard trucks near harvard calling for the firing of the president there. but the school newspaper, the harvard crimson, reports more than 500 faculty members have signed onto a letter urging the university's top governing body to resist calls to remove harvard's president claudine gay. members of congress say last week's hearing on anti-semitism on college campuses is just the beginning. the house has launched an investigation with subpoena power into u penn, harvard, m.i.t. and other elite university. >> we want to look at columbia, cornell and many other institutions. we don't want taxpayers dollars sent to places that have anti-seam advertisement. we'll take the investigation where

but it was mcgill who quote the most black, because she would not be drawn on stating specifically that a n t submitted comments is directly against university policy. now the reason for this is because it is not against a university policy which absorbs the 1st amendment. however, her resignation now has been greeted by the many who were calling for her to either be fired or to resign. these include more than 18 members of congress. and indeed, even the white house which weighed in with intense criticism of her refusal to state to the back the directly. however, there is some opposite opinion, those who $12.00 as a 1st amendment rights, the right to freedom of speech within the united states, pointing out that the university position and list mcgill's position. that position was based in fact, on a supreme court act back in 1969, a supreme court decision in which it held that hate speech is not necessarily a harmful unless it results in action. so therefore, the context has to be one of action speeches. one thing action is another, so these 1st amendment advocates very concerned that t

calls for genocide of jewish students on campus, the president of university of pennsylvania liz mcgill resigning over the weekend as a result with the chairman of the board of trustees that you penn, grady trimble is live with university of pennsylvania right now with the very latest. >> good morning, calls are growing this morning for the president of harvard and mit to step down after the president at you penn liz mcgill in the chair of trustee scott bock announced they were stepping down, mcgill will stay on as president of the university until the university can name an interim president. meanwhile in cambridge and an omnibus private funder paid to put two billboard tracks near harvard university according to fox news digital, the trucks are calling for the firing of the president there, mit is facing similar pressure after last week's hearing on capitol hill, even after mcgill and bok stepped on, students at the university of pennsylvania tell usa today they don't feel comfortable, others tell the u.s. post there's professors and students who were openly anti-semitic, the house ha

mcgill attended to clarify her testimony in social media post on wednesday. today harvard's president claudine gaye apologized for her comments in an interview with the school newspaper actually published last night, it's that i am sorry, it's edwards matter, but those apologies may be too little too late for a growing list of alumni, students, business leaders, and politicians who want those leaders out. morris? >> we wanted dig deeper on all the university of penn congregation. yvonne, thank you so much was he being with us, now you actually stepped down from the pen board of trustees in october, citing the universities embrace of anti-semitism, this was actually before we saw some of the most intense demonstrations on it only on that campus but other campuses around the country. what led you to resign specifically, and what do you feel now in retrospect singing is, the situation with these university presidents? >> well, i resigned because i was appalled at the behavior and the position taken by the university president. she was visited by one of our major

pete: i want to focus with penn for second liz mcgill was on fire even before october 7 they invitedestinian anti-israel speaker same from the river to the sea than october 7 happening protest occurred and she did nothing and said nothing then you have the testimony of third strike for liz mcgill. >> it wasn't just protest it was images from other campuses, harvard and mit we sell images of jewish students in cafeterias getting chased into areas and barricaded from what felt like to them pretty objectively obvious threats. pete: protest like this are the end state of students who were taught a worldview especially in this case on anti-semitism about the middle east you have a lot of foreign money coming in to the universities and a lot of it coming from the middle east that paints a certain picture, now you have protest after a terror attack that are supporting the terrorist organization and the university is doing nothing. will: whether it's foreign money or baked ideology even to moments like this in congress wary of the president of the three university mit, harvard and penn testi

mcgill. >> thank you for the opportunity to address the question. i am troubled by what you are reporting about the culture of the institutions we are leading. it's very contrary to the values i hold as a leader of the university of pennsylvania and the institution where any form of hate is very contrary to our values. i would venture an answer that antisemitism has a role in the broader society and that's what we are seeing happening in the society and their campuses and i'm committed to combating it in the immediate and long-term. >> thank you, dr. kornbluth. >> m.i.t. is a majority stem institution. we are devoted to solving the problems that face society. our faculty hirings are brilliant and we allow them to say what they would like in the classroom in the name of free expression but we are committed to having them no that our campus must be a welcoming and inclusive environment and although they may say what they like in the classroom academically targeting any individual student harassing or discriminating is strictly for bidden in our classr

in a statement, the university of pennsylvania says mcgill will remain a tenured faculty. meanwhile harvard's president apologizing for her comments and mit saying they're standing behind their president through all of this. but keep in mind, the department of education now investigating six more schools for reports of discrimination melissa. don abc news, washington. >> notorious conspiracy theorist alex jones is returning to x with a little help from elon musk. the right wing firebrand was banned from the platform back in 2018 for repeatedly breaking the site's rules on harassment and hate speech. musk posted the results of his unscientific poll showing 70% of its users voting in favor of jones reinstatement, even though the tech billionaire admitted that bringing jones back would be bad for x financially. musk argued that it was necessary for free speech. alex jones is ex account was reactivated. this morning. still to come, a big change to an old christmas favorite in the south bay. also reason to keep your eyes on the skies this week when an ongoing meteor shower is e

mcgill at penn does calling for the genocide of jews violate penn's rules or code of conduct? yes or no? if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. yes, i am asking specifically calling for the genocide of jews. does that constitute bullying or harassment? if it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. >> so the answer is yes, it is a context dependent decision. congresswoman. >> we've seen the presidents of some of our most elite universities literally unable to denounce calling for the genocide of jews as anti-semitic troc that lack of moral clarity is simply unacceptable. label even vice president kamala harris's husband, doug emhoff, has weighed in. >> now, with his criticism of the university leaders. so what is the repercussion then, and what is the right balance between protecting free speech and student sense of safety? joining us live now to talk about this hot issue, professor of constitutional law at uc law, san francisco, matt coles. professor coles, matt, thanks for joining us. >> pleasure to be with you. >> so it was penn, harvard and m

. >> miss mcgill, at penn. does calling for the genocide of jews violate penn's rules or code of conduct? yes or no? >> if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment? >> i am asking, specifically calling for the genocide of jews. does that constitute bullying or harassment? >> if it is directed and severe and pervasive, it is harassment. >> so the answer is yes? >> it is a context defended decision, congresswoman. >> it is a context dependant decision? that is your testimony, calling for the genocide of jews depends on the context? that is not bullying or harassment? this is the easiest question to answer yes, miss mcgill? >> presidents of three of the country's top schools, m. i. t., harvard, and the university of pennsylvania, sharply questioned this week on capitol hill over antisemitic rhetoric on their campuses, now facing massive backlash for not taking a hard line stance against calls for genocide. >> from the river to the sea. >> from the river to the sea. >> i have not heard calling for the ge

congresswoman >> hours later, mcgill issuing an apology posted on penn's website.not focused on, but i should have been the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. harvard's president, claudine gay, also questioned on capitol hill. >> so the answer is yes. that calling for the genocide of jews violates harvard code of conduct , correct? >> again, it depends on the context. >> the next day, gay issuing a statement saying that calls for violence or genocide against the jewish community or any religious or ethnic group are vile. they have no place at harvard. the department of education has opened investigations into ten universities and colleges where students are reporting high incidents of anti-semitism and islam phobia. the university of pennsylvania and harvard among them derrick dennis, abc news, new york. >> now to the latest on the conflict in the middle east. the us state department sent an emergency declaration to lawmakers late last night. it outlines the sale o

and something that i want to hone in on on president mcgill's testimony.erencing stopping anti-semitism and saying we cannot get this wrong. well, president mcgill got it wrong yet again in her testimony when she was asked directly does calling for the genocide of jews violate the code of conduct and she could not answer. she got it wrong three months ago when she openly invited speakers like roger waters to dress up as nazi ss soldiers in berlin and got it wrong once again yesterday during her hearing. >> bill: hang on a moment. we have the exchange. stefanik is the republican asking the questions and your president is liz mcgill. ever met her before? >> i have not had an in-person conversation. >> here is the back and forth. >> i'm asking specifically calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute bullying and harassment? >> if it is directed severe and pervasive. it is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman. >> bill: there is that phrase a context-dependent decision. what do you think of that? >> i think that should scare beyond just jews.

i just would like your take on liz mcgill.et's play that and get your take. >> in that moment i was focused on our university's long standing policies aligned with the u.s. constitution which say that speech alone is not punishable. i was not focused on, but i should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. >> she is in the spotlight now, but this is emblematic of something bigger going on at america's universities. >> yeah, it's bigger than even universities, there's been this -- we just heard in this report just now there's a wave of anti-semitism sweeping the country, some of it is violent, and the flash point for a lot of it has been that some of america's top colleges. it pre-dated october 7th. so in what -- why magill is under particular pressure she mishandled a similar situation prior to october 7th. and then october 7th happened and then the jewish community around the world and the united states thought the

do you agree with president mcgill's decision to step down? your takeaways from how this week has played out? >> well, i understand for personal and professional reasons why she decided to step down. she is committed to the university of pennsylvania, to do so in this instance i guess was to protect the institution. and i supposed to protect her self and her own reputation. but i disagree with the fundamental context in which all of this is happening. the first thing we have to say is anybody who lends credibility to -- somehow being the defender of free speech, of attacking those who are anti-'s about the, i think you can just look at her record. the notion of that question being asked in that context, a yes or no question, in my mind is just dull. it seems to me it would have been easy for all three presents to simply say, any declaring the genocide of jews is morally wrong. period. and move on. but to then move into a much more limiting conversation was necessary. instead we found ourselves caught up in political figures that ended up playi

but upenn, liz mcgill is out. one down.rtnoy will not hire anyone from harvard university or pennsylvania or mit until the school's dean steps down. dave portnoy joining us in the next hour. weight loss drugs may also help people control their drinking and new research is taking ozempic or wee geopolitical i we that alcohol use? doc siegle is next. ♪ i suffer with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. i was on a journey for a really long time to find some relief. cosentyx works for me. cosentyx helps real people get real relief from the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis. serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that look like eczema, and an increased risk of infections, some fatal, have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to or if ibd symptoms develop or worsen. i move so much better because of cosentyx. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. stuart: we're going back to the pro palestinian protests on capitol hill. that's where that young person there has

pennsylvania's governor called penn president liz mcgill's remarks unacceptable and shameful, urging the board of trustees to convene. in response, mcgill posted this video last night was not focused on, but i should have been the refutable fact that a call for genocide of jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence that human beings can perpetrate. meanwhile, at harvard, president claudine gay released this statement saying there are some who have confused the right to free expression with the idea that harvard will condone calls for violence against jewish students. those who threaten our jewish students will be held to account. this controversy is far from over. the us department of education is already investigating seven schools, including penn, mit and harvard, over complaints of anti-semitism and islamophobic discrimination on campus. >> andrea, thank you. something of a mystery at a branch of the boston public library. this album, a motown classic by junior walker and all the stars, was recently returned. yes it is. let me check. it's 2023. it was checked o

right-wing new york congressmember elise stefanik grilled mcgill during her testimony wrote on social media, "one down two to go." she also seeks the ouster of harvard and m.i.t. presidents, both who testified at the congressional hearing. in dubai, members of the oil producer alliance opec+ are blocking progress toward a global agreement to phase out the world's use of fossil fuels as the u.n.'s cop28 climate summit in dubai barrels towards its conclusion led by saudi tuesday. arabia, delegates from opec countries backed by coal, oil, and gas lobbyists have rejected any draft text that even mentions fossil fuels. this is democratic massachusetts senator ed markey speaking from the sidelines of the cop28 talks on sunday. >> the cop should conclude with a final statement that says the world wants to end this addiction, once to phase out fossil fuels. opec does not want to phaseout fossil fuels. they made that very clear yesterday. amy: on saturday, hundreds marched within the u.n. summit site calling for the end of the burning of fossil fuels and a cease-fire in gaza. >> we're here to

liz mcgill resigning following criticism of her testimony during a hearing on capitol hill. news reporter derek dennis has more. >> just days after her testimony before congress, embattled university of pennsylvania president liz mcgill voluntarily resigned from her position on saturday, saying in a statement it has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance penn's vital missions. scott bach, chair of the university board of trustees, also submitting his resignation since the october 7th hamas terror attack on israel and israel's bombardment of gaza. college campuses have been experiencing growing tensions. mcgill, along with the presidents of harvard and mit, have been accused of failing to condemn anti-semitism on their campuses. all three testified before congress on tuesday. this exchange prompting calls for mcgill's resignation. >> i am asking specifically calling for the genocide of jews . does that constitute bullying or harassment? >> if it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. so the answer is ye

pennsylvania's democratic governor said u penn's mcgill failed at the most basic level. >> it shouldn'te hard. and there should be no nuance to that. she needed to give a one word answer. and she failed to meet that test. >> reporter: the white house making clear on calls for genocide, there is no room for nuance. >> calls for genocide are unacceptable. it is vile. and it is counter to everything this country stands for. i can't believe that i even have to say that. i can't believe that i even have to say that. >> reporter: from the halls of congress to presidential politics -- >> it was disgusting to see what happened. >> reporter: calls for all three university presidents to step aside growing, some business leaders and the ceo of the anti-defamation league. >> when i watch these presidents flail and feebly with legalish answers respond to a simple line of questioning, i've got to say, we've lost confidence in them. >> reporter: some jewish students and their supporters demanding action. >> jewish students do not believe that the m.i.t. administration has done an adequate job to make

liz mcgill, facing calls to step down over her testimony on capitol hill this week.cans have accused her of downplaying campus antisemitism in this exchange with congresswoman, elise stefanik. >> specifically calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute bullying, or harassment? >> if it is direct, and severe it is harassment. if it becomes a means beautiful conduct it's harassment. >> in the chair of the house education committee, they applauded mcgill's announcement. this is how she remains on the faculty until a replacement is found. the statement reading, in part, quote, it has been my privilege to serve as president of this remarkable institution. nbc joins me now with the latest. george? >> alicia, the reaction on campus is a mixed bag right now. some students getting word that liz has stepped down, and also stepping, down tonight, the chair of the board of trustees, scott. mind you, pressure has been growing for the resignation, following the grilling on capitol hill. mcgill, putting out an apology of sports, backing some of her comments on social med

congresswoman. >> hours later, mcgill issuing an apology posted on penn's website. >> i was not focusedd have been the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. >> harvard's president, claudine gay, also questioned on capitol hill. so the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of jews violates harvard code of conduct . >> correct. >> again, it depends on the context. the next day, gay issuing a statement saying that calls for violence or genocide against the jewish community or any religious or ethnic group are vile. >> they have no place at harvard. the department of education has opened investigation into ten universities and colleges where students are reporting high incidents of anti-semitism and islamophobia. the university of pennsylvania and harvard among them. derek dennis, abc news, new york. in the middle east, the battle between israel and hamas is intensifying. >> we're going to take a live look at the gaza skyline this morning where, as you can see here, we've periodically s

liz mcgill was facing calls to step down over her testimony on capitol hill this week. republicans have accused her of downplaying campus antisemitism in this exchange with congresswoman elise to fonac. >> specifically calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment? >> if it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. if the speech becomes conduct, it can be harassment. >> stefanik and the chair of the house education committee both applauded mcgill's announcement. they say they will -- until replacement is found. mcgill statement reading in part, quote, it has been my privilege to serve as president of this remarkable institution. nbc's george soliz joins me now from philadelphia with the latest. george? >> yeah alicia, the reaction here on campus is a mixed bag right now. some students just getting word that nicholas step down, and is also stepping down tonight, the chair of the board of trustees, scott halbach. mind you, pressure has been growing here for the resignation following that grilling on capitol hill. mcgill putting

so new reaction today to the resignation of the university of pennsylvania's president, liz mcgill.she stepped out on saturday. this after coming under intense pressure following her controversial testimony on capitol hill about antisemitism on college campuses. there is a report by msnbc's, george soliz. >> mcgill's appearance at a house hearing on antisemitism, where she had this exchange with congresswoman, to phonic. >> i am asking specifically, calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute bullying and harassment? >> if it is directed instead -- it is harassment. if the speech becomes conduct, it could be harassment, yes. >> meaning committing the act of genocide? >> magill failure for calling for an end to genocide is drawing criticism from lawmakers. >> joining me, now robert garcia, he serves on the house oversight and committee, welcome back to the broadcast, congressman. what are your thoughts on the answers of former president mcgill, and the presidents of most harvard and my teacher in the hearing this week? should the others, these other, to be offering the res

here is what pen president liz mcgill had to say just on tuesday. >> ms. mcgill, at penn does calling for the genocide of violate pens rules or code of conduct. yes or no? >> if the speech turns into conduct it can be harassment, yes. >> i am asking, specifically calling for the genocide of jewish people, does that conduct constitute bullying or harassment? >> if it is directed or severe and pervasive it is harassment. >> the answer is? yes >> it is a context dependent decision. >> reporter: after that hearing mcgill released a video statement attempting to clarify by what she meant by all that context. >> i was not focused on, but i should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. it is evil, plain and simple. >> reporter: not sure if it's a daylight and $1 short, we'll have to wait and. c but former attorney general eric holder is back with us right now. i want to ask you about the nature of these hedging conversations or the minefield people see

university president liz mcgill and sally cornbooth.league, less so mit but cornell and columbia, harvard and penn were jewish students have been bullied and threatened by pro-palestinian student protests with 0 to little pushback by university presidents. it took liz mcgill a month to announce a task force to combat the anti-semitism raging on campus but that's too little too late for attorney mark castle what's who filed a lawsuit against penn for fomenting hostile environment for jewish students. charlie gasparino is here. charles: what has been the response? >> the response as you would expect, the response is enormous. it was very well known how absolutely abysmally the presidents of major universities in the ivy league and outside the ivy league in failing to protect the rights and safety, health and welfare of jewish students subjected to attacks by anti-semitic -- >> this is not just calling names. we are talking borderline physical get in people's faces. >> physical intimidation, harassment and in some instances physical contac

people celebrating -- mcgill struggled to condemn anti-semitism before congress last week. now it is focused on m.i.t. and harvard. >> bill: you had some billboard trucks in cambridge, massachusetts calling out president gay for defending students who called for jewish genocide. >> dana: critics say gay and other leaders were ambivalent about hate speech on campus and prompting disbelief. >> it was founded on religious freedom. the number one freedom is that of religion. it shouldn't be difficult to condemn anti-semitism. >> i found the answers of the universities presidents to not be acceptable answers of leaders of any institution. certainly of our best universities in the country. >> bill: college campuses have created a norm that some things are aloud because the liberal left likes them and some aren't allowed because conservatives like them. that has to end. >> good morning. whether or not claudine gay will continue to be harvard's president is expected to be discussed by the harvard corporation today, which is reportedly gathering for the second day in a row in regula

mocking barack obama and we've got -- the only thing with this skit is they went after it after liz mcgill to overwhelming blow back and landing on a happy note is snl is getting powell rised on social media -- pulverized from all sides on this and that's encouraging. stuart: yes, it is. joe concha, good stuff. see you again soon on that one. bill maher declared harvard and upenn team hamas. lauren: bill maher is 100% committed to free speech. he says you want to be anti-israel, that's fine but this is not. >> what bothers me is the double standard. >> oh my god, yeah. >> say they don't say kill the jews, but i've heard chanted [bleep] the jews. the bigger scandal here is these are the biggest most esteemed colleague. dei sounds great in theory and it's how it's working out and you rank the colleges and elite colleges and keep up with the bottom and if not last coming to free speech on campus. the university of pennsylvania president liz mcgill resigned and she was already under fire and she allowed the school in september right before the israel hamas war. she allowed penn to have anti-se

mcgill will remain a tenured faculty member at the university's law school. all right. shifting gears, let's get a check on the forecast as we take a live look outside. a lovely sunset out there. spencer says it will be another night for the heavy coat, maybe an extra blanket turn on those heat seekers. heat cedar cedars as well. >> i say that all the time. the heat cedars. yes. we'll need all of that too, to keep us warm. diana we had a cold morning this morning, as you know. no doubt know it'll be cold again tomorrow morning. and here's why. as we look at the satellite radar composite image, big ridge of high pressure there. the dominant factor in our weather picture right now keeping skies mainly clear when skies are clear at night. of course, the radiational cooling allows temperatures to drop quite low under this time of the year especially. so we have a frost advisory that will be in effect from midnight tonight to 10 a.m. tomorrow for the north bay interior valleys, low temperatures in that region will drop down to between 32 and 35 degrees going into the mid-mor

. >> pennsylvania's governor called penn president liz mcgill's remarks unacceptable and shameful, urging board of trustees to convene. in response, mcgill posted this video last night was not focused on, but i should have been the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. meanwhile, at harvard, president claudine gay released this statement saying there are some who have confused the right to free expression with the idea that harvard will condone calls for violence against jewish students. those who threaten our jewish students will be held to account. this controversy is far from over. the us department of education is already investigating seven schools, including penn, mit and harvard, over complaints of anti-semitism and islamophobic discrimination on campus. rhiannon andrew. >> andrea, thank you for that. in sports now, a blockbuster trade in baseball. the padres are sending juan soto to the yankees. six other players are also involved in that deal. >> and in college basketball, a milesto

mcgill has since tried to walk back her commence, both with no luck. also doing damage control. she told the school's paper, i am sorry. words matter. when words amplify distress and pain, i don't know how you can feel anything but regret. but we know why the presidents could not condemn the genocide of jews. it's because they see the world through the lens of a pressure and oppressed. they care more about who is calling for genocide rather than who is being threatened with eradication. there is a total pole of victimhood and they believe that intersectionality determines who gets to spew hate speech. i bet every university head would have jumped out of their seat racing to be the first one to condemn calls to kill all black students or all hispanic students. and now the house education committee has announced their plans to investigate the discipline policies at these schools and see who is getting preferential treatment. contributing editor at the spectator, steven l miller joins me now. great to see you. i've thought a lot about this and talk to a l

that can't be your answer. >> now the presidents of harvard, mit testified, along with liz mcgill lastnd then continue to face heavy criticism for their comments. are they the next to go? according to reports harvard's board is currently considering president claudine gay's mishandling of last week's hearing while harvard alum and billionaire bill is demanding mit fire their president after calling for harvard to do the same in an open letter. here with reaction fox news contributor ari fleischer the host of tomi lahren is fearless, tomi lahren. let me understand. if you call for murder, genocide, torture, rape, kidnapping, bee headings, even bee headings of young kids, can you think of any other identity group, anyone that you want to think of, and anything similar ever said about that identity group, would it be acceptable on any of these colleges campuses? >> no. we know that for a fact because, sean, as you and i both know, when conservatives come to speak on campus, just our very presence is considered hate speech and these administrations speak out against it vehemently. every ti