I think it's factually the case, then academic freedom in our country is

it's over. That's a fact. Academic freedom died the day the billionaire class got its way. So, You guys are going to be so excited to know that I have back on the

podcast Norman fekelstein you know him you love him the author of most recently

I'll burn that bridge when we get to it, and less recently, but imminently,

importantly, given world events, Gaza, an inquest into its martyrdom. Norm Finkelstein, welcome back to the program.

Thank you for having me. Now I mentioned those two books in particular because they're both

to remain to today's main headline topic, which is the somehow still ongoing saga of

Claudine Gay, who has now been ousted from a position of president of Harvard University and the ongoing battle that's being waged by Bill Ackman who is a hedge fund billionaire and one of the leading voices calling for her to

step down. He is a Harvard mega donor who has donated I believe tens of thousands

to the university,

and has up until this moment been in a position

to exert some degree of influence over the college.

This is perhaps the first time that his own politics has become in such stark diametric

opposition to the headwinds of the political moment with so many students and some faculty

calling for a ceasefire obviously in Gaza and I

probably don't have to unpack for all of those who have been following this

most of the listener of this podcast probably know what's been going on but Ackerman along with

Christopher Rufo were of course successful in getting a gay ousted shortly into the new year.

Now this is not over because Ackerman is now facing charges that his own wife

Nary Oxman who was previously a tenured faculty member at MIT is under fire for the exact same types of plagiarism that

Clauding Gaye was accused of. In fact, arguably even worse plagiarism than what Claudine Gay was accused of because she also plagiarized

Wikipedia which according to MIT's handbook is not even if she had cited Wikipedia accurately it is not a legitimate

...