The Free Press
It’s Thursday, June 5. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: A counterpoint to AI doomerism; an eyewitness account of the terror attack in Boulder; why murder rates are plummeting; and much more.
But first: How a “DEI-inspired purification” ruined an MIT scientist—and what it tells us about the legacy of cancel culture.
I first wrote about the scientist David Sabatini in 2022, when colleges were still reeling from the pandemic. Black Lives Matter protests had led to new policies that attempted to right historical wrongs. And the #MeToo movement was shaking up academia, science, media, and entertainment.
It was during that overheated time when Sabatini was ejected from his perch atop biomedical research after he was tarred with the label of “sexual harasser,” an accusation that he denies to this day. He lost almost everything, including the lab he had in Cambridge, millions in federal grants, and the respect of his colleagues.
Three years later and Trump is back in office, DEI is dead, and the #MeToo movement is so far back in the rearview mirror that we can barely see it. But while the vibes may have shifted, a lot of the people whose lives were ruined in the witch hunts of a previous era are still dealing with the consequences—and trying to reclaim what they believe they wrongly lost.
Sabatini is one of those people.
That’s why I decided to call Sabatini up again—to find out where he is now, to examine what has come to light during the three-year court fight over his downfall, and to see if he thinks it will ever be possible for him to be welcomed back into American academia.
—Suzy Weiss
On Sunday, Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly hurled two lit Molotov cocktails at a group of peaceful protesters in Boulder, Colorado, who gather each Sunday to demand the release of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. As Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, threw his homemade bombs at the group, consisting of families and the elderly, he shouted “Free Palestine,” “End Zionists,” and “How many children have you killed?”
Several weeks ago, Free Press columnist Tyler Cowen and Avital Balwit of Anthropic argued that artificial intelligence will cause “the most profound identity crisis humanity has ever faced.” Today, Martin Gurri offers a counterargument: For those of us who “will never be the smartest in the room,” perhaps an AI buddy is exactly what we need.
The year is still young, but early data suggests 2025 could see the lowest murder rate on record. But as American cities return to law and order, have they learned their lesson?
Liberty Vittert, an MIT-trained data scientist, dedicated her adult life to raising money to help the United Nations care for refugees. But in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, she learned a hard lesson about the UN and its priorities.
In his latest Free Press essay, Matt Continetti dives into the history of the conservative movement—and the new, long-anticipated biography of the man who launched and shaped it more than anyone else: William F. Buckley. Matt and Oliver Wiseman talk about all of this—Buckley, Trump, and everything in between—on the latest Free Press livestream.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, has rejected the latest version of the Trump administration’s proposed nuclear deal with the country. The major sticking point between Tehran and Washington is Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which the Trump administration insists must end. “To the American side and others we say: Why are you interfering and trying to say whether Iran should have uranium enrichment or not?” Khamenei posted Wednesday on X. “That’s none of your business.”
Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as White House press secretary during President Biden’s final two years in office, announced Wednesday that she’s written a tell-all memoir about her experience and her subsequent decision to leave the Democratic Party. The book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, is due out in October.
President Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports Wednesday, raising the rate from 25 to 50 percent. The White House said the tariff increase was necessary to address “trade practices that undermine national security.” The steel industry praised the move, while companies that rely on steel and aluminum imports—such as can manufacturers—warned that the higher prices would be passed on to consumers.
Wildfire smoke from Canada and dust clouds from the Sahara are blanketing much of the U.S., triggering hazy skies and dangerous air quality across the East Coast. Air quality alerts were issued for New York and surrounding areas on Wednesday, with officials urging vulnerable residents to stay indoors and monitor their breathing between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Cities as far away as Minneapolis also had “very unhealthy” air quality as on Wednesday morning, according to The New York Times.
Cannabis use is rising sharply among older adults, according to the American Medical Association. Among those 65 and older, past-year use increased from under 1 percent in 2005 to 4.2 percent in 2018. The increase was especially pronounced among women, white people, those earning more than $75,000 a year, and those with college or postgraduate degrees. “Clinicians should consider screening and educating older patients about potential risks of cannabis use,” the AMA warned.
The James Webb telescope has discovered a galaxy dubbed MoM z14, the most distant galaxy ever found. Situated 13.5 billion light years from Earth, the discovery calls into question physicists’ beliefs in how quickly galaxies can be formed, as it was created just 280 million years after the Big Bang. “First and foremost, at the moment, this is the most distant object known to humanity,” said one Yale astronomer involved with the telescope. “That title changes every so often, but I find it is always cause for pause and reflection.”
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced her bid for top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee. The outspoken Crockett, 44, is seen as a rising star on the left, despite fumbles like calling Texas governor Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, “Governor Hot Wheels” earlier this year. Crockett is among several Democrats vying for the position.
The Trump administration has reversed a Biden-era mandate requiring hospitals to perform emergency abortions when the patient’s health required it. The decision was celebrated by abortion foes but criticized by proponents of keeping the procedure legal in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.
A group of Democrats have released the initial results of a $20 million study on why the party struggles with young men, and the results may not shock you. “Democrats are seen as weak, whereas Republicans are seen as strong,” said one Democratic activist involved with the study. For more on the Democrats’ difficulties winning over young men, read River Page’s latest: “How Democrats Lost Men Like Me.”
I'm not sure what the big spin-up is over KJP. Yes, she lied daily. That was her job. Nobody should be surprised by it. Yes, it is a reflection on her character that she took a job that she must have known in advance would require her to lie daily, and she kept it without resigning for four years, even as the lies became more obvious and untenable. Clearly, she has zero integrity and zero credibility, but this is politics in this day and age. Not sure what's up with calls below to jail her. On what charges? And if so, it would require jailing so many involved in politics that we'd need a massive new federal prison, one perhaps with separate wings for Democrats and Republicans.
Watch out for Corckett. If she doesn't get the leadership position, I'm sure it'll be due to systemic racism and misogyny.