Hard Numbers: Gay resigns, Danish Queen steps down, #FreeMickey, and a Calmer New Years’ Eve in Paris

January 02, 2024

Harvard University President Claudine Gay testifies before a House Education and The Workforce Committee hearing titled "Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 5, 2023.

REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

2: Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, stepped down on Monday, almost a month after her counterpart at Penn, Elizabeth Magill, resigned in the wake of their Congressional testimony last month on campus antisemitism. Gay has also faced mounting allegations of plagiarism, and her departure means two of the three presidents who testified have now stepped down. That sound you hear? MIT President Sally Kornbluth counting her blessings.

52: In a surprise move, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark — the longest-serving monarch in Europe — has decided to abdicate the throne after 52 years in power. The 82-year-old royal says she wants to leave the responsibility to “the next generation.” (Who knows, maybe the final season of “The Crown” got her thinking?). She will be succeeded by her eldest son, the famously climate-friendly Crown Prince Frederik.

95: Oh Mickey, you’re so fine. And thanks to US copyright law, now you’re free. As of Jan. 1, early versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse from the 1928 short film “Steamboat Willie” are now public intellectual property. The reason: The US caps character copyrights at 95 years. Hollywood wasted no time in dropping the trailer for a new slasher film starring Mickey on a murderous rampage. Ron DeSantis has been trying to warn us …

10: The notoriously ... impassioned French public had a calmer New Year’s celebration than usual earlier this week. According to authorities, overnight arrests and vehicle fires in Paris were both down about 10% from the year before. This is good news for French law enforcement officers, who vowed to tighten security during a time of heightened terror threats in hopes of inspiring confidence in the country’s security apparatus ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

Developing nations decry climate deal at COP29

Protesters gather at the venue of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, dubbed COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 16, 2024, calling for developed countries to take responsibility for the greenhouse gasses they have emitted.

Kyodo via Reuters

After marathon sessions and deep divisions, COP29 concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a commitment of $300 billion in annual assistance by 2035 to help poorer nations cope with climate change.

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Mastercard

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ICC warrants for Bibi, Gallant will test respect for international law

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024.

REUTERS/Amir Cohen

These warrants will pose a test for Israel’s Western allies if Netanyahu ever plans to visit, and raises questions over how they should interact with the Israeli leader more generally.

Gaetz becomes first Trump nominee to crash out

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his bid to become attroney general on Nov. 21 over continuing allegations of sexual impropriety. President-elect Donald Trump appointed him on Nov. 13, 2024.

USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that after meeting with senators, he would not go through with the nomination process to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, claiming he did not wish to be a “distraction.”

Hard Numbers: Gay resigns, Danish Queen steps down, #FreeMickey, and a Calmer New Years’ Eve in Paris

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Constitutional changes target regulatory agencies in Mexico

The lower house of Mexico’s Congress approved the text of a constitutional proposal to scrap oversight bodies on Wednesday, a first step in the ruling Morena party’s goal of eliminating autonomous institutions and consolidating power.

Hard Numbers: Gay resigns, Danish Queen steps down, #FreeMickey, and a Calmer New Years’ Eve in Paris

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

After marathon sessions and deep divisions, COP29 concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a commitment of $300 billion in annual assistance by 2035 to help poorer nations cope with climate change.

Listen: New York Times national security and White House correspondent David Sanger joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to break down the foreign policy implications of Trump 2.0.

As Trump makes his cabinet picks, there's a lot more clarity on the national security side than there is on the economic side, says Jon Lieber. He breaks down the key picks and the key roles that remain open so far.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

All sides are pulling out the stops right now -- for one important reason.

These warrants will pose a test for Israel’s Western allies if Netanyahu ever plans to visit, and raises questions over how they should interact with the Israeli leader more generally.

Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that after meeting with senators, he would not go through with the nomination process to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, claiming he did not wish to be a “distraction.”

The lower house of Mexico’s Congress approved the text of a constitutional proposal to scrap oversight bodies on Wednesday, a first step in the ruling Morena party’s goal of eliminating autonomous institutions and consolidating power.