NYU suspends 2 profs
Both downplayed horrors of Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid on Israel
Two professors have been suspended by New York University, apparently within days of each other, after going viral online defending Hamas, including a psychology instructor who said he might “enjoy” captivity himself.
The adjunct professor, Tomasz Skiba, posted a clip of himself on Instagram saying most of Hamas’ Israeli hostages being held in Gaza “were okay” and that “some of them actually liked their time.”
The other, Amin Husain, was filmed denying verified reports that Hamas sexually assaulted women on Oct. 7. He quipped that being called antisemitic is an honor to be “won.”
“All members of our community must adhere to the University’s discrimination and anti-harassment policies,” university spokesman John Beckman said in a statement on both men’s suspensions Friday. “NYU investigates all complaints it receives and takes appropriate action, which may include taking measures such as suspension.”
Beckman announced Husain’s suspension on Jan. 25. Skiba said he was told
Monday that his suspension related to an investigation into his social media posts.
Skiba, an adjunct professor of applied psychology, has set his social media account to private. But his video was shared online by StopAntisemitism, a viral account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“From what I have seen from the hostages that were released by Hamas, most of them were okay,” Skiba said in the clip. “Some of them actually liked their time. One girl was able to keep her dog while she was staying there. So who knows? Maybe I would also enjoy it, and actually have good food and meet some people.”
The Israeli teen who kept her dog in captivity and her family have told several news outlets that the Shih Tzu was kept in a birdcage and fed the hostages’ leftovers.
Skiba prefaced his comments by saying he is “against any kind of killing of human beings and injustice.”
He’s been at NYU for more than three years and on Friday told the Daily News the video was “taken out of context.”
Skiba, who is originally from Poland, said he was compelled to speak out because of the country’s history of being taken over by other countries, such as Russia and Germany. He clarified that he is against taking hostages, and his own grandfather was held captive in Siberia.
“It’s very important to me that all people — Israeli, Palestinian, Polish — have the right to be free and have a peaceful life,” said Skiba, who added that a family member three generations ago was “100%” Ashkenazi Jewish.
He was supposed to teach two courses this semester on sexual identities and counseling, which he said were put on ice the Friday before classes were scheduled to begin that Monday. He’s also been receiving death threats and vulgar personal comments.
Skiba felt that it was important for him to weigh in on the conflict because of his training in trauma.
“I learned a lot about men that came from countries exposed to war,” he said. “Men have a hard time expressing their emotions” and opening up about what happened to them in childhood.
Husain’s remarks were made to a student group at a nearby campus, the New School, at the end of last semester.
His talk went viral after conservative media outlet the Free Press shared the recording.
“‘Oh my God, you support rapists and people that behead babies,’ ” Husain said of pro-Israel advocates’ allegations in the video. “Both of which, whatever, we know it’s not true.”
Husain also referenced a petition for his dismissal related to his pro-Palestinian activism, started by a NYU alumna in mid-October that has since garnered more than 6,600 signatures.
“I have a petition going around, right, because I’m ‘antisemitic,’ ” he said to the group of students. “I won the honors of ‘antisemitic’ multiple times, by the way.”
A representative for Husain, the First Amendment defense organization Parachute Project, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Universities across New York have been grappling with how to respond to campus tensions after Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking hundreds of others hostage. More than 100 were released during a prisoner swap last year.
Israel’s brutal counteroffensive has killed more than 27,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington formally postponed Donald Trump’s March trial on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election as a legal appeal from the former president remains unresolved in the courts.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (photo) on Friday vacated the March 4 trial date in the case brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and did not immediately set a new date.
The move opens the door for a separate prosecution in New York, charging Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn actress, to proceed first. That case has long been seen as arguably the least legally perilous of the four indictments Trump faces, as the alleged misconduct is less grave than accusations of mishandling classified documents or plotting to subvert a presidential election.
The postponement in Washington comes as a federal appeals court has yet to resolve an appeal from Trump arguing that he is immune from prosecution for actions he took in the White House. It is not clear when the three-judge panel might rule, but a ruling in favor of prosecutors that permits the case to move forward is expected to be appealed again by the Trump team, likely resulting in additional delays.
For both sides, timing is of the essence. Trump, who faces four indictments and 91 felony counts, is looking to push his criminal cases back as he enjoys front-runner status in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Smith’s team, meanwhile, is hoping to be able to prosecute Trump this year before the November election. If Trump is elected while the case is pending, he could presumably order the Justice Department to drop it and could potentially try to seek a pardon for himself.
The Washington case had been expected to take place first, but it has been delayed for weeks by Trump’s appeal on grounds that he is shielded from prosecution — a claim that has been vigorously disputed by Smith’s team.
The appeals court heard arguments Jan. 9 and appeared skeptical of a Trump lawyer’s position. Though the court has said it intended to work quickly, it has not yet issued a ruling.
The judge in the New York case, the first of four indictments filed against Trump last year, has resisted defense demands that he postpone the March 25 start date in light of the conflicting trial date in Washington, figuring — correctly — that the former president’s legal calendar might change as the trial neared.
Trump is due back in court in Manhattan on Feb. 15 for a pretrial hearing where final details are expected to be ironed out. Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors have been discussing jury selection procedures with the judge and some witnesses have said they have been told to be ready to testify.
The New York case involves steps Trump allegedly took to hide payments that were made on the Republican’s behalf to suppress damaging stories before his 2016 win over Democrat Hillary Clinton, namely logging them as legal expenses. While a guilty verdict would give Trump another historic moniker as the first former president convicted of a crime, there is no guarantee of prison time.
Trump critics have long bemoaned that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment was the first, believing that it helped blunt the political impact of more serious charges that followed because voters tuned out or grew confused by the myriad cases.
Bragg has eschewed his case’s “hush money” label, opting in recent weeks to describe it as another Trump “election interference” case — albeit, this one involving behind-the-scenes maneuvering during Trump’s first campaign for the White House in 2016.
Trump, meanwhile, faces dozens of felony charges in Florida accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. That case is set for trial May 20. Another case in Georgia accuses him of plotting to overturn that state’s 2020 election. No trial date has been set.
Federal authorities are investigating sex-trafficking allegations against WWE founder Vince McMahon, according to a new report.
The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment resigned from his roles at parent company TKO last week, a day after a former WWE employee accused him of sexual misconduct.
In a 67-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, Janel Grant alleged she was required to maintain a sexual relationship with McMahon and submit to his “sexual demands” in return for employment.
Those demands involved alleged acts of “extreme cruelty and degradation,” which included defecation “during a threesome.”
While the bombshell allegations were only made public after the filing of the lawsuit, New York prosecutors have been talking for months to multiple women who have accused the embattled billionaire of sexual misconducts, sources familiar with the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.
Last summer, federal agents executed a search warrant for McMahon’s phone and served him a subpoena for any documents related to allegations of “rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination” against WWE employees, according to the newspaper.
The grand jury subpoena also sought communications between McMahon and the women who accused him of sexual misconduct — including Grant.
In June 2022, the Journal reported McMahon had agreed to pay $12 million in hush money to four women to suppress their allegations. The report led McMahon to resign as CEO and chairman of WWE, but he was reinstated to the board in January 2023.
When resigning as a board member and executive chairman of TKO last week, McMahon vehemently denied Grant’s allegations, saying federal investigators will not find any wrongdoing.
On Jan. 26, in a statement released less than 24 hours after news of the lawsuit broke, the sports entertainment mogul said the “baseless accusations” alleged in the complaint were “obscene made-up instances that never occurred.”
Vowing to “vigorously” defend himself against the allegations, McMahon said he looked forward to clearing his name.
Actor Carl Weathers, known for playing Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” franchise and appearing in “Happy Gilmore,” “Predator” and Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” died Thursday at age 76.
Weathers died peacefully in his sleep at home in Los Angeles, his manager announced in a statement on Friday.
“Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life,” Matt Luber said. “Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.”
Born in 1948 in New Orleans, the Emmy-nominated actor first excelled as an athlete, playing a variety of sports including football, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics and boxing during his childhood.
Weathers went on to play football at San Diego State University and help lead the Aztecs to an 11-0 record on the way to a 1969 Pasadena Bowl victory under Hall of Fame head coach Don Coryell. Weathers pursued a degree in theater arts while in school.
Although he went undrafted in 1970, the linebacker later signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent and played a total of eight games in the NFL before pivoting to an acting career.
Weathers soon began landing small roles in the blaxploitation films “Bucktown” and “Friday Foster,” in addition to several TV roles on “Good Times,” “Kung Fu,” “Cannon” and “Starsky and Hutch” in 1976.
During his audition for the role of Apollo Creed in “Rocky,” Weathers recalled being introduced to Sylvester Stallone as the writer of the film. After worrying that he botched the audition, Weathers told the room that he felt he could do a lot better if they got him a “real actor” to work with, not knowing Stallone was to be his on-camera partner.
In an interview with Rich Eisen in 2017, Weathers said he believed he got the role because Stallone “wanted to beat the hell out of me.”
It would end up being his most notable role, one he would reprise in Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985).
Weathers played a pivotal role in 1987’s “Predator” alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore” as Chubbs Peterson, a former golf star who lost his hand in an alligator attack.
Sandler honored Weathers in a heartfelt post to Instagram Friday afternoon.
“A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always,” Sandler wrote. “Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything.
“What a guy!! Everyone loved him. … Carl will always be known as a true legend.”
Weathers is survived by his ex-wife, Mary Ann, and their two sons.
His other credits included a recurring role on “Arrested Development,” a voiceover in the “Toy Story” franchise and TV credits for “Street Justice,” “Colony,” “The Shield,” “Chicago Justice” and “Brothers.”
Weathers took up directing career in his later years, heading two episodes of “The Mandalorian” as well as episodes of “Law & Order” and “Chicago Med.”
Aguide to current Broadway shows by Daily News theater critic Chris Jones. & Juliet: A savvy jukebox musical from London offering a feminist reworking of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with added bits and songs made famous by Pink, Britney and Kesha, et al. This nonstop party-empowerment show is derivative, over-confident and fun. Stephen Sondheim Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St.
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical: Wanna be transported back to when you swayed to “Song Sung Blue,” seduced to “Red, Red Wine,” sniffled to “Love On the Rocks” or were stirred by “Play Me,” before you actually got played in life? Then this biographical jukebox tribute to the gravel-voiced singer-songwriter is your show. But if the idea of a “Sweet Caroline” audience singalong sounds hellish, move on down the list. Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St.
Aladdin: Disney’s “Aladdin” is a bit too frenetic, gag-heavy and overly anxious to please — but it has settled in as an entertaining family attraction featuring a diverse cast, a fun genie whose antics will always remain a tribute to Robin Williams, and the requisite magic carpet ride against a backdrop of the glittering lights of a utopian Arabian night. New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 W. 42nd St.
Appropriate: Not since Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s “August: Osage County” has Broadway seen such a blistering display of ensemble acting as to be found at director Lila Neugebauer’s ruthless and riveting production of “Appropriate,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ ironically titled play about a combative, wounded and self-loathing family who rip each other into little pieces over their dead patriarch’s legacies. Sarah Paulson, the lead performer, is on fire all night long. Second Stage Theater, Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St,
Back to the Future: The Musical. Closer to a thrill-park ride than a traditional musical, this frenetic new spectacle from London showcases a flying DeLorean car essentially re-creating the role played, years ago, by the helicopter in “Miss Saigon.” The show is attracting a family and tourist audience and Roger Bart at peak eccentricity is fun to watch. But unlike the film, the show makes you feel very little. Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 Broadway.
The Book of Mormon: A relic of an era when satirists had more guts, Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s show lampoons the LDS religion with the same sharp edge familiar from “South Park.” Go enjoy a wicked musical from before America lost so much of its sense of humor. Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th St.
Chicago: This long-lived show celebrating real-life killers of prohibition-era Chicago has been pulling in Broadway suckers since 1996. The real stars here are John Kander and Fred Ebb, who penned a score that drips with melodic aspiration and lyrical cynicism, and Bob Fosse, whose erotically muscular choreography is the perfect match. Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th St.
Days of Wine and Roses: It’s a good thing Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel‘s melodious and meticulous musical about an alcoholic marriage has only one act. There would not be a lot of profit in hiring a bartender for intermission. But Guettel’s music is beautiful, the stars (Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James) are superb and the direction unstinting. The show could use to let loose more, emotionally speaking, but it’s still a potent combination of beauty and dead, Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St.
Hadestown: This dystopian 2019 musical is rooted in the 2010 concept album by Anaïs Mitchell and updates and retells the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice via a compellingly theatrical blend of steampunk, “Westworld” and self-aware Bourbon St. sensuality. It’s a thrillingly alarmist show, albeit potentially jarring to those who prefer warmer or more traditional musicals. Mitchell’s music variously evokes gospel, blues, blue collar work-song and the ravings of a rabid cult. Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th St.
Hamilton: Still a tough and expensive ticket, this Lin-Manuel Miranda global cultural phenomenon employs a young, diverse cast to tell the story of Alexander
Hamilton, the Founding Father with the long-term berth on the ten-spot, but also a scrappy immigrant who wrote like he was running out of time. The music is eclectic and often gorgeous, the emotional intensity still capable of blowing all else away. Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St.
Harmony: A moving and earnest new musical about the Comedian Harmonists, a real German singing group destroyed by the Nazis in the 1930s, “Harmony” is a big musical achievement for Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman and is filled with old-school songs driven by melodic hooks and lyrical simplicity. Familiar as its structure may be, “Harmony” deserved its long-delayed berth on Broadway at what has turned out to be both the perfect and a truly awful moment. You will feel all that emotion in the theater. Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child:
An epic commitment requiring two tickets and six hours has now been reduced to a more manageable single show. We purists lament the change, which cut much of the subtlety and fun in the text but left all the spectacular theatrical effects. Even in this version, though, Harry Potter fans leave fully satiated. Lyric Theatre, 214 W. 43rd St.
How to Dance in Ohio: The most remarkable thing about this new musical is not that it features seven autistic actors as its stars, although that’s a Broadway first. It’s whose stories it tells: a group of real, young, neurologically atypical persons in Columbus, Ohio, all preparing for prom, a proxy for the passage into adulthood. “How to Dance,” which has book and lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik and music by Jacob Yandura, doesn’t always live up to its own aims. In particular, it tends to moralize and preach, to tell rather than show; it’s at its best when it gets out of the way of its own characters. Belasco Theatre, 111 W. 44th St.
Kimberly Akimbo: Due to a rare genetic disorder, 16-year-old Kimberly of New Jersey has the outward appearance of a 62-year-old woman. This quirky and fascinating new musical proceeds from there, with a Jeanine Tesori score filled with songs about the agony of how the world only spins forward, and usually far too fast for our sanity. Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St.
The Lion King: Julie Taymor’s masterful work is 25 years old but still as fresh as a Serengeti morning. This Disney family attraction features stunning puppets, visual tableaux, Elton John songs, African music. It’s deservedly the most successful musical of its era. Minskoff Theatre, 200 W. 45th St.
MJ The Musical: This homage to the King of Pop is set during the creative process for Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous”
world tour. Although there is little mention of the MJ controversies (the estate prefers it that way), “MJ” offers the chance to hear a slew of iconic MJ hits and experience his choreographic soul through the simpatico-but-original ideas of Christopher Wheeldon. Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd St.
Merrily We Roll Along: Broadway never saw a better triple-act than Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radclife, the triumphant triumvirate at the heart of the gorgeous new revival of from the famed British musical theater star Maria Friedman. What a delight they are to watch as life kicks their ever-hopeful characters in the teeth. Life severely batters these old pals in this brilliant, backward-moving musical about showbiz types by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, as based on an old Kaufman and Hart play. It’s a near-perfect production. Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th St.
Monty Python’s Spamalot: Eric Idle and John DuPrez’s hilarious and proudly retro spoof now has to face a world where fewer people know “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” by heart. I still fancy the chances of this revival of one of Broadway’s biggest comedy hits: the gags are fearless, the shtick timeless and the flatulent atmosphere all raucous good fun. With high notes, too. St James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St,
Moulin Rouge the Musical!: A decadent live translation of Baz Luhrmann’s widely beloved 2001 movie musical and an intense, anachronistic extravaganza that stuffs cuts of pop anthems (70 songs! 161 composers!) inside a letter-box of gorgeous retro-red velour. This is date-night pastiche with a unifying communal playlist, and an omnisexual dip into a sensual ocean with nervous fellow travelers. Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St.
Prayer for the French Republic: Joshua Harmon’s epic exploration of the perils of Jewish identity was penned long before we learned of abductions and human carnage at a music festival. But the issues in this potent, time-traveling drama about a family of Parisian Jews feel extraordinarily timely. David Cromer’s gut-wrenching production is filled with a sense of quiet dread but also emphasizes how humans beat back despair in the name of resilience. A fine choice for lovers of serious Broadway drama. Samuel
J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St.
Purlie Victorious: Kenny Leon’s supremely well-toned revival of Ossie Davis satire of all-American racism set on a wheezing Georgia plantation in the 1950s is a knockout show, as hilarious as it is cutting and as emotionally warmhearted as it is politically potent. It also should make a star out of the fearlessly fabulous Kara Young, playing the naive, countrified partner in crime of the loquacious preacher played by “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom, Jr. Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St.
SIX: The Musical: Just 90 minutes, this small-cast original pop musical is centered on the six wives of Henry VIII who bond in a post-death sisterhood and compete for who actually had the worst time with their bearded pig. Audiences generally ignore the relatively thin gruel and have an empowering blast. Lena Horne Theatre, 256 W. 47th St.
Some Like it Hot: The new musical version of the iconic Marilyn Monroe movie roars along like the 20th Century Limited, racing from rumba to samba and jive to paso doble, its book unfurling with breakneck zestiness and its fleet-footed dancers and singers speeding so fast from one transition to another that it feels as if someone has lit a fuse and the Shubert Theatre is set to burst into flames every night at 10:30. Shubert Theatre 225 W. 44th St.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Far and away the best revival of the season, the new production stars the endlessly droll Annaleigh Ashford and the brooding Josh Groban. At once funny, scary and disarmingly moving, this must-see show allows Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Gothic revenge tragedy of a musical to howl anew with the agony of human injustice and the ameliorating constancy of love. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St.
Wicked: Now more than 20 years old, “Wicked” is one of Broadway’s best loved attractions. It’s a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and focused on the intense friendship between two witches, one good, one maybe better. The Winnie Holzman book is a witty tour de force and Steven Schwartz came up with a bevy of emotional numbers, including “Defying Gravity,” one of the great Act One closers of all time. Gershwin Theatre 222 W. 51st St.