Inside CUNY's antisemitism probe

Plus: Knicks fans sad [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Inside CUNY's antisemitism probe: Campus talks, professors, students under scrutiny]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ⛅ Mostly sunny, highs in the mid 70s. It's Monday in New York City, where a private law firm appointed by the state to investigate claims of antisemitism at CUNY has been interviewing faculty members, scrutinizing student activities and appearing unannounced at campus meetings. While critics have been arguing since well before the Oct. 7 attacks that the school was a hotbed for antisemitism, some faculty are now questioning whether the goal of this investigation is to silence dissent — particularly that of pro-Palestinian voices. [Here's where things stand ahead of a final report on the inquiry](. And here's what else is happening: - The NYPD said it's "looking into" an incident caught on video where [a police supervisor is seen repeatedly punching a demonstrator]( at Saturday's pro-Palestinian protest in Bay Ridge. - Advocates for New York City seniors are warning that dozens of centers for older adults could close if [Mayor Eric Adams' proposed budget cuts]( go through. - The MainChance drop-in center, a 35-year-old hub in Midtown that offers homeless New Yorkers a place to rest and eat, [will likely shut down this summer]( if the city end its contract with the organization. - The nonprofit GrowNYC closed its Fort Greene Farmers’ Market community composting sites on Saturday, marking the organization's latest site closure following Mayor Adams' [elimination of funding for community composting](. - Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who's challenging Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a Democratic congressional primary, is facing criticism [after saying Bowman won his 2020 primary in part due to the killing of George Floyd]( and a pandemic-era surge in mail-in ballots. - The federal judge who's presiding over three lawsuits against congestion pricing has [signaled skepticism that the tolling program is just an MTA "cash grab"]( that requires further federal review. - Federal officials are urging New Yorkers to be mindful of [potential attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals]( ahead of Pride Month in June, though no specific threats have been identified. - Leaked WhatsApp messages indicate that the KIND bar founder and several other wealthy political donors concerned about antisemitism had [a Zoom call with Mayor Adams]( to discuss sending in the NYPD to stop campus protesters at Columbia. - What if, instead of free curbside parking spots, New York City had a bunch of [little curbside parks]( - "Swept Away," an Avett Brothers musical about an 1884 shipwreck, is [coming to Broadway]( this fall. - The portal to Dublin is [back in action]( with shorter hours and tightened security. - The Times Square lactation cookie billboard [is also back](. - Sheep from upstate New York will once again be [summering on Governors Island]( where they eat invasive plants. - The MTA is selling [limited edition]( Vampire Weekend MetroCards today. - The Disneyland characters have [voted to unionize](. - Rudy Giuliani has [an Amazon gift registry]( for his 80th birthday. [“If the only people speaking to them are the people who are saying, ‘Hunter [College] is antisemitic, saying mean things about Israel is antisemitic, Jewish students are afraid to go to class,’ and there is no counter to that, then we are not doing our job. We need to speak up for academic freedom, for freedom of expression.”]( - Hunter College professor Sarah Chinn on [SPEAKING WITH THE LAWYERS INVESTIGATING CLAIMS OF ANTISEMITISM AT CUNY]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Knicks’d: NY fans despondent after hometown team is eliminated from NBA playoffs]( "This is B.S. because I spent $700 on a ticket and they didn't do freakin' good at all," said Knicks fan Bobby Diaz as he left Madison Square Garden yesterday. [Eddie Redmayne on the staying power of Broadway’s ‘Cabaret’]( Redmayne, who was nominated for a Tony award for his performance as the Emcee in "Cabaret," spoke with WNYC's "All Of It" about returning to the role he first played as a 14-year-old. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Canadian wildfire smoke likely to return to NYC and become 'a new norm,' experts say]( The Big Apple should prepare for an orange hazy blanket of smoke from Canadian wildfires to return this summer, climate experts told Gothamist. [Your guide to Pride: 13 events in New York City this June]( A month's worth of LGBTQ+ celebrations will culminate with the NYC Pride March — the nation’s largest — on Sunday, June 30. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.