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New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
University of California Settles With Jewish Students Over U.C.L.A. Protests
The University of California has agreed to settle a lawsuit contending that the university allowed pro-Palestinian protesters to block Jewish students from a section of the University of California, Los Angeles, campus during demonstrations last year. In the lawsuit, four Jewish students and a Jewish professor said that the university had countenanced antisemitic behavior at a tent encampment set up in 2024 by protesters demonstrating against the war in Gaza. The plaintiffs said the university had not intervened when protesters prevented students who were wearing Jewish symbols like a star of David or the Israeli flag or a skullcap from crossing campus. The university even provided the barricades used to keep people out and stationed security guards on campus who sent Jewish students away instead of helping them get through, the court papers said. Passers-by were given wristbands that allowed them to pass through if they renounced support for the existence of the state of Israel, the lawsuit said. The U.C.L.A. administration allowed the exclusion zone to continue operating for a week, the lawsuit said. The settlement, announced Tuesday, will require the university to give $6.45 million, including legal fees, to the plaintiffs and to charitable entities. The money will also support the university's own efforts to combat antisemitism and support the Jewish community on campus. Mark Rienzi, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the settlement appeared to be the largest among a set of private lawsuits accusing universities of tolerating antisemitism since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
25-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
3 Toxic Relationship Habits to Avoid
Once, when my husband, Tom, and I were battling about something, I got so worked up that I blurted, like an angry toddler: 'You bad man!' Conflict is 'inevitable and normal in intimate relationships,' said Andrew Christensen, a distinguished research professor at the U.C.L.A. department of psychology. But the way that couples manage it is a key to a healthy bond, he added. There's a productive way to deal with conflict — attacking the problem rather than each other, for example — and an unhelpful way that fails to resolve the fight or makes it worse. Name-calling, as I did, falls under the second category. (Fortunately, Tom laughed, which made me — grudgingly — laugh, too.) Other unproductive habits? Criticism, defensiveness, contempt and stonewalling — often referred to as the 'four horsemen of the relationship apocalypse.' But there are additional red flags that can arise when partners fight. I asked experts to share some, along with advice for what to do instead. James Cordova, a professor of psychology at Clark University and the author of 'The Mindful Path to Intimacy,' said his clients often see fights as a zero-sum game, with one clear victor and one loser. But that approach 'is absolutely poisonous to intimacy,' he said, because both parties end up feeling unsatisfied. Rather than striving to win, Dr. Cordova said, try to think of the conflict as a puzzle you're doing together. The goal isn't to finish first or to win. James A. Coan, a professor of psychology and a neuroscientist at the University of Virginia, recommends taking what negotiators call a 'mutual gains approach,' where you focus on finding common interests and brainstorm solutions that benefit you both. 'Instead of dividing the pie, you build a larger pie,' he said. Before a fight can escalate, reframe your 'win at all cost' mind-set, Dr. Coan said, by considering: Do I want to be right, or do I want us to be happy? Start by asking your partner about their position with genuine curiosity, he said. 'That orients you toward understanding rather than winning,' Dr. Coan said. If you've ever uttered phrases during a fight like, 'My therapist thinks you're a narcissist' or 'My therapist told me I should stand up to you,' you're doing what Dr. Coan calls 'authority citing.' That's undermining your partner by referring to others' opinions, 'so that they have no recourse because they're not responding to you, they're responding to the authority,' he explained. And weaponizing what your therapist said during a squabble, he added, is a 'terrible strategy for emotional intimacy.' If you feel the urge to bring up your therapist's views, focus on your own feelings instead, said Tracy Dalgleish, a psychologist in Ottawa who works with couples. Dr. Dalgleish said to ask yourself: What makes me want to bolster my argument? Why do I feel I have to push my point harder? What do I really need right now? Then share what it is that you need, she said, and leave your therapist's comments out of it. Dr. Cordova has noticed a red flag that he has termed 'Sméagol-ing,' based on a character in the film 'The Lord of the Rings' who changes 'from aggressive Gollum into sniveling Sméagol.' During a conflict, one person will air a grievance, Dr. Cordova said, 'and the other person will respond with: 'I know, I'm the worst. I'm a terrible partner. I don't even know why you're with me.'' Rather than dealing with the problem, Dr. Cordova said, 'they just fold, like Sméagol.' And it's a tactic that distracts from and dismisses the other person's concern, he said. 'What you're fishing for is 'rescue me,'' he added. However, this behavior isn't entirely passive, Dr. Christensen added. 'It's like, 'On the surface, I'm agreeing with you, but I'm exaggerating what you are saying to the point that it becomes an attack in and of itself,'' he said. If your partner is Sméagol-ing, Dr. Cordova recommended that you respond with a blend of compassion and honesty. Start by affirming your partner's experience ('I know it's hard to receive feedback — it's hard for me, too') and reassuring your partner that you care. And then you can reiterate that you need your partner to understand what you're saying and why it matters, he said. If you're Smeagol-ing, practice resisting the urge to fold, take the focus off yourself and address your partner's concern directly, Dr. Cordova said. As Dr. Cordova and I were chatting about conflict strategies, he admitted that sometimes, when he and his partner are having a tiff, he'll cite scientific research. 'So we'll be in the thick of it,' he told me, 'and I'll say, 'Well, you know, Schwartz, et al did a study on this.'' I confessed to him that I've done the same version of 'authority citing.' Then we agreed that we probably shouldn't do this anymore. Is chewing gum harmful to your health? If you chew gum regularly, you're not alone. One study of U.S. teenagers and adults found that 62 percent reported munching on gum over the past six months. Gum chewing can affect various parts of the body, experts say — in positive and negative ways. Read the article: Is It Bad to Chew Gum All Day? You don't need a special studio to do a barre workout. Over the last two decades, barre workouts have become a fixture on the fitness scene. Here's an introductory routine that you can do almost anywhere: All you need is a chair and a mat. Read the article: A 10-Minute Barre Workout You Can Do at Home The Week in Well Here are some stories you don't want to miss: Let's keep the conversation going. Follow Well on Instagram, or write to us at well_newsletter@ And check out last week's newsletter about the downside of getting what you want.
New York Times
08-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Another Group the Democrats Should Stop Taking for Granted
During the 2024 campaign, President Trump portrayed Hispanic immigrants as 'rapists,' 'bloodthirsty criminals,' 'animals,' 'stone cold killers,' the 'worst people' and the 'most violent people on earth.' Myah Ward of Politico reported on Oct. 12, 2024 that 'the former president has escalated his xenophobic and racist rhetoric against migrants and minority groups he says are genetically predisposed to commit crimes.' Trump's language, Ward continued, 'is a stark escalation over the last month of what some experts in political rhetoric, fascism, and immigration say is a strong echo of authoritarians and Nazi ideology.' Less than a month later, Trump set a record for a Republican presidential candidate, winning 46 percent of the Hispanic vote, 18 points more than the 28 percent he received in 2016 and 14 points more than his 32 percent in 2020. Trump didn't just defy the liberal assumption that his demonization of immigrants would cost him Hispanic voters; he turned those expectations upside down. How did this happen? Efrén Pérez, a professor of political science and psychology at U.C.L.A., provided an explanation in an email responding to my queries: Latinos, like other humans in the world, have a multiplicity of identities: religion, class, race, ethnicity, nation, etc. Which of those identities drives behavior depends on the immediate context — with political discourse playing an important role in raising the salience of in-groups and outgroups. The more Trump/Republicans hammer home on 'Americans' and 'Making America Great Again,' the more salient American identity becomes for Latinos — especially for those who prioritize it more than their ethnic identity. The fragility of their identity as Americans, Pérez argued, makes Hispanics particularly sensitive to any challenge to that identity: What's unique in this setup is that Latinos are American 'pledges,' sort of like new fraternity brothers. They value their American identity, but also feel insecure about it. So, in order to prove their worth as Americans, they are motivated to brighten the line between 'us' (Americans) and 'them'' (non-Americans) such as undocumented immigrants and other racial minorities, including Black people. These conflicting pressures, Pérez continued, show why building political coalitions between people of color can be difficult. Latinos, specifically, sometimes express hostility toward Black people because they feel their own sense of Americanness is being questioned, so they lash out at an 'un-American' group to sharpen the distinction between 'us' and 'them.' It's probable, in Pérez's view — though not guaranteed — that the pro-Republican shift among Latino voters will continue: We know this new trend toward Republicans is not election-specific. And, as the Latino population becomes increasingly native-born, their sense of American identity will get stronger. American identity is mentally associated for Latinos with the Republican Party. The cross-pressures within the Latino electorate are evident in an analysis of survey data, '2024 Latino Voters Survey,' by Roberto Suro, a professor of public policy and journalism at U.S.C., and José E. Múzquiz, a Ph.D. candidate there. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Scientists Reveal the Hairy Truth About Giant Ground Sloths
Ground sloths emerged in South America tens of million years ago, eventually ranging as far north as Canada. While their modern relatives dwell in trees and top out at the size of a dog, ground sloths also occupied land and seashores and, at their largest, rivaled today's elephants. We know from preserved pelts that some ground sloths had lots of fur. But did other sloths evolve to be nearly hairless? Research published earlier this year in The Journal of Mammalian Evolution offers new insights into what the extinct sloths may have looked like, and how furry they really were. Developing a more accurate picture of ground sloths is not simple. Their habitats varied from tropical to cold climates across the Americas. And they came in a variety of sizes. The megatheres, known as Eremotherium and Megatherium, were among the biggest terrestrial mammals of their time. The team started by determining sloth body temperature. They employed an analysis that two authors involved in the study, Robert Eagle and Aradhna Tripati of the University of California, Los Angeles, pioneered in earlier research that sampled fossilized teeth. Using three megathere teeth and two teeth from relatively smaller ground sloths, they measured the abundance of certain isotopes within minerals inside the sloth teeth, Dr. Eagle explained. 'Isotopes are transformative to be able to illuminate the body temperature of extinct species,' Dr. Tripati said. Remarkably, they found that, at 84 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit, these ground sloths had a lower core body temperature than most large land mammals today. Randon Flores, another study co-author and a Ph.D. student at U.C.L.A., said that low body temperature 'allows us to make inferences about things like metabolic rate,' and from that, he added, 'we can draw comparisons' between the physiology of today's smaller sloths and their much larger extinct relatives. Three-dimensional computer models created by paleoartists were used to estimate the surface area and body volume of the megatheres and the somewhat smaller species, Mylodon and Nothrotheriops. Further analysis allowed the team to adjust for factors like wind speed, humidity and the amount of sunshine in various habitats. The goal, said Michael Deak, the paper's lead author, who is currently at Penn State Shenango, was to determine 'a thermal comfort zone' for each species, in which the animal is neither too hot nor too cold. Megatherium produced the most surprising results. Regardless of the environment, each model indicated a preference for what Mr. Deak described as 'a fairly thick, dense, furry pelt.' Modeling it with sparse elephant-like hair, he continued, indicated the animal would 'be constantly cold-stressed.' Eremotherium, which was slightly smaller than Megatherium, was the only sloth whose fur coverage might have changed depending on its habitat — without at least a centimeter of dense fur, it would have been too cold in the Andes Mountains and some northern habitats. But in tropical climates, sparse fur might have sufficed. The team suggests that Eremotherium may have had either varied fur coverage depending upon region or it may have shed its coat during warmer seasons. Smaller Mylodon and Nothrotheriops would have needed one to five centimeters of denser fur year-round, an amount that matches mummified fur from those animals. But even with thick fur, the authors note, these species inhabited areas in South America where it wouldn't have been enough to combat the cold. That dovetails with fossil evidence suggesting the species sheltered in caves, or even hibernated. The lifestyle of modern tree sloths, said Michael Butcher, a study author and a professor at Youngstown State University, 'is built around conservation of energy.' So he said it makes sense that extinct ground sloths were doing something similar, even 'at much larger body sizes.' Mariana Di Giacomo, a natural history conservator at the Yale Peabody Museum who was not involved in the research, described its models as fun and necessary. But she wishes the team had sampled more than five teeth, and teeth from more varied regions. 'I think they could have been able to say these things with a lot more authority if there had been more data,' Dr. Di Giacomo explained, particularly if they had sampled more fossils, for example, from colder and more southern regions in Argentina or Chile. Greg McDonald, a paleontologist formerly with the federal Bureau of Land Management who was also not involved in the research, said the results of this paper were achieved by synthesizing lots of information from various sources 'to see how well it fit together.' 'The isotope data is really a solid foundation,' he said. Obtaining the same results from disparate sources in the models indicates that this is 'probably a valid underlying explanation' about the amount of sloth fur.
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Pro-Palestinian Activists Sue U.C.L.A. Over Encampment Attack
Pro-Palestinian activists are suing the University of California, Los Angeles, accusing it of allowing pro-Israel counterprotesters to terrorize and assault people at an encampment set up on campus last spring. The pro-Palestinian camp became a major flashpoint in the conflict over the war in Gaza and over how universities responded. The demonstrators have accused the school and various police forces of failing to protect them and shutting down the camp without legal justification, after it was attacked by pro-Israel activists over the course of several hours one night in April. But Jewish students said the university allowed the camp to stay for days, even though it had created a hostile environment and prevented them from entering some parts of campus. The new lawsuit, announced on Thursday, came the same week the Trump administration joined a separate lawsuit filed by Jewish students and a Jewish professor, in June, accusing the university of failing to protect them from the pro-Palestinian activists. The administration says it is also investigating complaints of antisemitism at a growing list of universities, including U.C.L.A., through a federal task force. The new complaint was filed on behalf of 35 pro-Palestinian activists, including students, faculty members, legal observers, journalists and sympathizers. It also names 20 people as defendants who are described as members of a 'rioting mob.' Filed in superior court in Los Angeles County, the lawsuit seeks monetary damages for physical and psychological injuries suffered by the protesters. According to the suit, the university's administration allowed pro-Israel counterprotesters to mount a large jumbotron near the pro-Palestinian encampment, which broadcast 'a loop of clips of graphic descriptions of rape and sexual violence, sounds of gunshots, screaming babies, clips of President Biden pledging unconditional support for Israel, and extremely loud amplified music,' including a children's song that the lawsuit says was used to torture Palestinian prisoners. The noise continued during the night and seeped into classrooms during the day, according to court papers. Then, on April 30, the lawsuit says, counterprotesters, some in Guy Fawkes-like masks, some draped in Israeli flags, attacked the camp in the middle of the night. They sprayed chemical irritants into people's eyes and pulled down metal and wooden barricades, using them as weapons. The lawsuit also says that attackers threw fireworks into the encampment, and that several people went to the hospital for injuries. All the while, the lawsuit says, U.C.L.A.'s administration, the campus police, the Los Angeles police and the state highway patrol stood by passively and ignored the pro-Palestinian group's pleas for help. Stett Holbrook, a spokesman for the University of California president's office, said that the university had instituted reforms to promote safety and combat harassment and discrimination systemwide. 'Violence of any kind has no place at U.C.,' he said in a statement. Highway patrol and the Los Angeles police said they would not comment on pending litigation. As the violence escalated, private security officers fled the area, the lawsuit says, and it took hours for them to be replaced by the police. The attack continued for nearly five hours, from about 10:30 p.m. to about 3:15 a.m. 'It was immediately apparent that there was not a semblance of protection for the physical safety of the encampment members, and the mob had successfully transformed a peaceful, interfaith community into a site of horror,' court papers say. According to the suit, many of the counterprotesters were not students but community members, including a Beverly Hills jeweler, a Laguna Beach attorney and a Los Angeles teenager, who are named as defendants. Many could not be reached or did not respond to requests for comment. One who responded, David Merabi, an attorney in Los Angeles, said he is 70 and has back problems and was not at the encampment. 'Those were adult, grown members of the community,' Thomas B. Harvey, the lead lawyer in the case, said on Thursday, adding, 'I think it's a totally different understanding of who's in that attack.' The Council on American-Islamic Relations California is also providing legal assistance on the case. Less than 12 hours after the attack, the police disbanded the encampment, and in doing so, according to the lawsuit, subjected protesters to a new round of violence, including being shot at with rubber bullets, beaten with batons, wrestled to the ground and restrained. The police raid resulted in more than 200 arrests. One of the plaintiffs, Thistle Boosinger, was beaten by the counterprotesters with a metal rod that shattered her hand and severed a nerve, hurting her career as a drummer, according to the complaint. Jakob Johnson, who graduated from U.C.L.A. last year, was shot in the chest with a rubber bullet by a police officer standing less than 10 feet away, the complaint says. He suffered heart and lung injuries and depression, and had to withdraw from law school, the complaint says. Mr. Harvey said the plaintiffs had identified the counterprotesters by analyzing a CNN report on the violence that night, which captured some names and images. The lawsuit notes that none of the people who attacked the encampment were arrested. On Monday, the Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the separate lawsuit filed by Jewish students. That lawsuit accused pro-Palestinian protesters of setting up checkpoints on campus to block people who supported the existence of the state of Israel. In a preliminary injunction in August, a federal judge said the checkpoints were 'abhorrent' to the constitutional right of religious freedom, and ordered the university to protect Jewish students. 'The statement of interest is part of the task force's nationwide effort to combat antisemitism in all of its forms,' the Trump administration said. A year after the disbanding of the encampment, the protest activity continues, though more quietly. About two dozen protesters gathered at U.C.L.A. for a second day on Wednesday to call on the university to divest from money tied to Israel, and to call for a public meeting with the University of California Board of Regents. They chanted, banged on drums and held a sign saying, 'Keep your eyes on Palestine.'
