Cato Institute libertarian Ilya Shapiro ’99 was placed on administrative leave by Georgetown University’s law school a day before he was set to begin as a lecturer, after he tweeted that President Joe Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court would mean he’d choose a “lesser” nominee than “the objectively best pick.” — The New York Times
JT Wu ’16 is running for Georgia’s newly redrawn State House District 97. Wu founded Preface, an early childhood literacy nonprofit. — Georgia Asian Times
Countertenor and New York Philharmonic artist-in-residence Anthony Roth Costanzo ’04 has planned a wide-reaching festival this spring titled, “Authentic Selves: The Beauty Within.” — The New York Times
Historically Black colleges and universities have been using philanthropist MacKenzie Scott ’92’s multimillion-dollar donations “in a myriad of ways: need-based scholarships for students, improving the working conditions for faculty and staff, and adding programming in STEM fields and the arts.” — The Chronicle of Higher Education
“I can’t say I don’t like Wall Street people. I love some of them. But I think the system is perpetually screwed up, and I don’t quite understand why, except that people get themselves in positions of influence and they’re able to make money from a screwed up system.”
— Author Michael Lewis ’82, revisiting his book about Wall Street, Liar’s Poker, just before beginning a new podcast called “Other People’s Money.” — The New York Times
Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Danielle Allen ’93 is making a case for decriminalizing all controlled substances and citing nonviolent drug violations as civil offenses. — Boston.com
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson *03 is proposing paramedics and firefighters be able to take up to five days of paid leave for their mental health after they experience a traumatic incident while on duty. — The Hill
Olympian Nathan Crumpton ’08, who competes in the men’s skeleton event, appeared shirtless at the Opening Ceremonies, marching as American Samoa’s sole athlete in Beijing and first in 28 years at a Winter Games. — People
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