UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT IN THE HEARINGS REACTING TO THE NEWS ON X WITH, QUOTE, DOWN. TIM MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT AT ATLANTA, AND STARTING DINNER 13th, CO-HOST OF "THE WEEKEND," REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND FORMER ARE AND SEEK MEDICATION DIRECTOR, DOUG HINES. I BELIEVE IT. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS NEWS OUT OF HARVARD? SEEMS LIKE YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABOUT PLAGIARISM OR IS THIS ABOUT MORE THAN THAT? >> IT IS DEFINITELY ABOUT MORE THAN THAT. IT IS, QUITE FRANKLY, PROBABLY ABOUT MORE THAN JUST THE HEARING ON CAPITOL HILL. THERE WAS SOME MISGIVINGS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT ALL ALONG, QUITE FRANKLY, THAT, OF COURSE, HER BACK OR SAID, THAT WAS ROOTED IN SEXISM, RACISM, NOT GIVING HER HER DUE AS HARVARD'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT, BUT SOME THE BOARD UNCLE DRIBBLE ABOUT HER FROM THE BEGINNING IF WE ARE GOING TO BE HONEST, THEN THE PYLON AFTER THE HEARING, THE CULTURE WARS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO OUR NATION'S UNIVERSITIES, QUITE FRIENDLY, ALL FIT IN TOGETHER, AND ULTIMATELY, SHE DECIDED IT WAS BEST TO GO. >> DOUG, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A BIG STORY. THE CULTURE WARS, IT IS ELITE INSTITUTIONS ON THE EAST COAST. IS THIS GOING TO RESONATE IN THE BROADER PUBLIC? I DON'T HAVE A HANDLE ON IT. >> I DON'T THINK IT WILL THIS IS STILL AN IMPORTANT THING. I WILL TELL YOU, WHEN I WATCHED THE HEARING, THE WORST WITNESS I HAVE SEEN IN A CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY, INCLUDING THE WHEN I WORKED ON WITH AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE THAT HAD CAUGHT FIGHTERS IN IT. THAT'S ABOUT SHE WAS AT THE HEARING. THEN, COMPOUND UPON THAT ISSUES OF PLAGIARISM. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PLAGIARISM IS WHEN ONE IS DONE, THERE ARE TWO, THREE, FOUR. I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT CLAUDINE, BUT JEWISH KIDS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, AND NORTH CAROLINA. I WAS ON OUR CAMPUS AT A BOARD OF VISITORS MEETING A WEEK AFTER NORTH CAROLINA HAD SIMILAR PROTESTS AND USED IMAGES OF THE GLIDERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. MY SCHOOL WAS UNPREPARED TO TALK ABOUT THIS. I THINK WITH YOUR HARVARD, MIT, PENN, NORTH CAROLINA, ANY SCHOOL, BE PREPARED FOR REAL ANSWERS ON HOW KIDS ARE GOING TO FEEL SAFE ON CAMPUSES. >> THEY HAVE THE MENTALITY HERE, FROM AT LEAST A PHONIC, THE BROADER POINT. >> I THINK THE DODGER MENTALITY, THOUGH, IS IN FACT, LET'S BE VERY CLEAR, TESTIMONY FROM THE PRESIDENT, IT IS HORRIFFIC. THEY ANSWERED A HUMAN QUESTION WITH AN ACADEMIC ANSWERED THAT THEY WERE PREPPED BY THE UNIVERSITY, QUITE FRANKLY, TO GIVE. >> AND LAW FIRMS. >> TERRIBLE STAFF ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT ON TOP OF THAT, WHAT HAPPENED IN THE AFTERMATH OF THAT, PARTICULARLY FOR CLAUDINE, THE CALLS SAID, SHE WAS TERRIBLE IN THE HEARING AND SHE IS UNQUALIFIED. 387 YEARS, ONLY TWO WOMEN HAVE AND PRESIDENT OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY.THE FIRST WOMAN WAS FOR CLAUDINE, ONLY ONE BLACK WOMAN HAS BEEN GIVEN, AND THE BLACK WOMAN, SIX MONTH AFTER, HAS RESIGNED FROM HER JOB BECAUSE, LOOK AT THE STATEMENT, IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF HARVARD TO RESIGN FROM THE COMMUNITY AND NAVIGATE AND FOCUS ON THE PETITION RATHER THAN AN INDIVIDUAL. HARVARD DECIDED IT WAS UNABLE TO CONTINUE TO WEATHER THE STORM. WHILE I DON'T THINK THE CULTURAL WAR WILL PLAY OUT ON CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE THE BIGGEST EFFECT, IN GENERAL, 2024. WHAT WILL HAVE AN EFFECT IS HOW JEWISH CITIZENS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, ARAB-AMERICAN STUDENTS FIELD COLLEGE CABBAGES, AND HAVE EVERY BLACK NATIONAL IN AMERICA CAN TURN ON THE TELEVISION TODAY, SEE THIS NEWS ABOUT DR. CLAUDINE, AND ALL HAVE THE SAME REACTION. IT LOOKS AS THOUGH SHE WAS TARGETED. >> YOU SAID, SHE WAS HORRIFFIC, THEN WE HAD A SERIES OF SCANDALS. >> LOOK, SHE HAS BEEN TARGETED HERSELF. AGAIN, SHE IS ONE OF THE CAUGHT FIGHTERS IN TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS SO FAR. >> I WILL SAY THIS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, 387 YEARS, MUCH LIKE WITH, CLASSIFIED COMMITS WITH FORMER PRESIDENTS AND VICE PRESIDENTS, I HAVE SAID, THERE'S A PARTICLE IN WHICH A PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE. THE HOME OF A FORMER PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT, MIGHT ACTUALLY FIND A CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT. NOT NECESSARILY NUCLEAR SECRETS, MAYBE A PIECE OF PAPER THEY SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OUT PRESENTING. LOOK AT WHAT OTHER PRESIDENT OF HARVARD HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED FOR PLAGIARISM, AND IF WE WANT TO BE VERY SPECIFIC, WHICH I THINK WE SHOULD, THE ISSUE OF PLAGIARISM IS LOOSE CITATIONS. AGAIN, NOT SOMETHING I WOULD WANT TO DO, BUT ALL I'M SAYING IS -- >> ALL RIGHT. >> PLAGIARISM. >> I THINK THIS ILLUSTRATES THE EMOTIONS AROUND. >> WHICH IS WHY THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE. I THINK THIS IS A RACE ISSUE AS MUCH AS IT IS AN ISSUE ABOUT ANTI-SEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA. >> I DON'T DISAGREE. THIS IS NOT WEIRD TO ME THAT THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CLAUDINE. >> CERTAINLY TODAY. >> I'M GLAD WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THIS. EX-RESIGNATION OF HARVARD'S PRESIDENT, THE ONLY ISSUE ON PEOPLE'S MINDS I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET TO A COUPLE OF OTHERS. THE PRESIDENT IS COMING BACK FROM HIS VACATION. >>> HE HAS A LOT ON HIS PLATE. WE HEAR SOME THINGS, HE DOES NOT GIVE IT ABOUT NEGOTIATIONS GOING ON ON CAPITOL HILL. HOW BIG IS THE FIRST MONTH OF THIS NEW YEAR FOR THIS PRESIDENT? >> IT IS GOING TO BE BIG. YOU CAN PUT IT ALL ON PRESIDENT BIDEN. HE CAN'T MAKE CONGRESS PASS APPROPRIATION BILLS. HE CAN'T MAKE CONGRESS FUND THE WARS IN UKRAINE OR FUND ISRAEL. HE CAN'T MAKE CONGRESS PUT TOGETHER A BORDER POLICY PACKAGE, WHICH HE SAID, HEY, I AM READY. SEND ME SOMETHING THAT I CAN SIGN.HE CAN DO IT HIMSELF. CONGRESS HAS TO DO IT. SO, THERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT OF HEADACHES FOR THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE THE GRIDLOCK OVER HERE, AT THE CAPITOL, AND THAT'S WHERE, I MEAN, IDEALLY, THERE'S SO MUCH ON CONGRESS' PLATE, WHICH IS WHY, GOING AFTER THE PRESIDENTS OF UNIVERSITIES DOES SEEM LIKE NOT THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF THEIR TIME, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINE, MID-JANUARY, AND WE ARE LOOKING AT THE WAR IN UKRAINE, THE ISRAEL/HAMAS CONFLICT, AND QUITE FRANKLY, WRAPPING UP FOR THE ISRAEL/HAMAS CONFLICT, POSSIBLY GOING TO BECOME A REGIONAL CONFLICT IF DIPLOMACY ISN'T ABLE TO WORK THAT OUT. THOSE ARE THE THINGS ON BIDEN END PLATE. >> DOUG, IF PRESIDENT BIDEN CAN'T FORCE CONGRESS TO DO AND THINK, CAN SPEAK MIKE JOHNSON? HIS MAJORITY GOT SMALLER OVER THE BREAK. TO SEE HIM GET TESTED IN A VERY MAJOR WAY HERE? >> I THINK HIS MAJORITY WILL CONTINUE TO GET SMALLER WITH RESIGNATIONS WE KNOW ARE COMING LATER THIS MONTH. WE KNOW WE START WITH THE DEADLINE THE FIRST LAUNCH OF FUNDING THAT COMES THROUGH. I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS WILL BE A VERY DIFFICULT JANUARY IN WASHINGTON, THE NEW AND THE IOWA CAUCUS, NEW HAMPSHIRE PARTNERS TO IT, VERY DIFFICULT MONTH IN POLITICS, PERIOD, STARTING WITH JOE BIDEN, WITH HOW THE REPUBLICANS AS WELL. >> IS A VETERAN OF THE ADMINISTRATION, A CONVERSATION OMICRON I WAS THE LIGHTHOUSES TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WRESTLE CONTROL OF THESE ISSUES, EVEN THE ONES THAT CAN'T JUST DESCRIBE. >> I THINK ONE OF TWO RUSSIANS IS WHO CAN THEY NEGOTIATE WITH. SPEAKER McCARTHY AND PRESIDENT BIDEN DID NEGOTIATE A DEAL INITIALLY THAT McCARTHY WALKED AWAY FROM, AND NOW, WE HAVE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON, WHOM WE HAVE YET TO SEE, ATTESTED TO HIS ABILITIES TO HOLD THE CAUCUS. IF SPEAKER McCARTHY COULDN'T, I HAVE TO SUSPECT THAT MIKE JOHNSON CAN'T. WHO CAN DO IT CONGRESS? ON TOP OF THAT, THE FACT THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH DEMOCRATS WHO ARE VOCAL. THEY ARE NOT PLEASED THAT THE WHITE HOUSE BYPASSED THE ADMINISTRATION'S CONGRESS AND SEND AID TO ISRAEL, NOT PLEASED ABOUT AID TO ISRAEL, BERNIE SANDERS, NELSON, HE WILL NOT VOTE FOR A BILL. THOSE ARE PEOPLE YOU NEED TO TALK TO IF YOU WANT ANYTHING DONE. >> NEGOTIATE WITH JAMES LANKFORD, THE POINT PERSON ON THIS BORDER NEGOTIATION SITUATION, WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE THE MOST MOVING PARTS IF NOT THE MOST LIKELY ISSUE TO GET SOLD. >> I THINK SO. IN THE LEAD UP TO THE HOLIDAY, THERE WERE AGGRESSIVE NEGOTIATIONS HAPPENING UP UNTIL THE LAST FIGHT FOLKS COULD TAKE OUT. WITH ANOTHER WEEK AND A HALF OR SO, THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF DEAL ON THE BORDER. THE QUESTION IS IS IT A
