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UPDATE: Why is Everyone in America Talking About Baseball?
The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years, beating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings.
The Cubs led 6-3 after the first six innings but Cleveland scored three runs in the bottom of the eight to tie it up. Neither team scored in the ninth, and after a brief rain delay the game went into extra innings.
Both teams hoped to end long droughts without a world title: the Cubs last won in 1908 while the Indians' last series win was in 1948.
Despite the Cubs being favored to win the series, Cleveland was a game away from claiming the title after winning the first, third and fourth games of the series. But Chicago won three straight – including the final two in Cleveland - to end the longest stretch without a World Series win by any team in baseball.
Original story starts here:
This Major League Baseball World Series has brought fans out of the woodwork because it matches up two teams who have the longest World Series droughts in baseball.
America loves underdogs, and this year's World Series has two of them: The Cleveland Indians have not won a pennant since 1948, and the Chicago Cubs have not won since 1908!
The Indians are in the American League. They won in the playoffs, or the games that decided who would go to the World Series. According to the Indians website, the team has been in existence since 1901, and have won only two World Series titles. Once in 1920, and once in 1948.
Carlos Santana's game-winning catch to advance the Indians to the World Series
This means that the last time the Indians won the World Series:- A man hadn’t landed on the moon
- Israel had just declared itself an independent state
- It was the year that President Truman defeated Dewey. (And not the other way around.)
The Cubs are a part of the National League. The last time the Cubs appeared in the World Series was 1945. But they lost. The Cubs only have one World Series title under their belt, the one they won in 1908.
The Cubs celebrate clinching a trip to the World Series
This means that the last time the Cubs won the World Series:- Neither World War had occurred
- Sliced bread wasn’t in existence
- The Ottoman Empire still existed
The World Series is played over seven games, going back and forth between the two stadiums of the participating baseball teams. Whoever wins four of seven wins the World Series title. The first two World Series games of 2016 will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. CNN Money reported that the average ticket price for the four possible games in Cleveland is $3,900.
In Chicago, Illinois at Wrigley Field, the ticket prices are even more steep. CNN Money reports that the average asking price for the three possible games is $7,200 a seat. Jesse Lawrence, the founder and CEO of TicketIQ told CNN that, "We've never seen anything like this before. ... We may never see it again,” as this series is even beating out previous Super Bowl ticket averages.
The World Series is a match-up played after the regular 162 game season, and the two to three rounds of playoffs after that point. The Wild Card game comes first and is a newer (and more confusing) feature of the World Series, and the New York Times has great background information on it. The Division Series, and the Championship Series follow afterward in that order. To get to the World Series, a team from each league of baseball must win both of these series. In the World Series, a team must win four of seven games to officially claim the championship title.
No matter which team claims the title, this World Series will be one for the history books. One title drought will be broken, and another will drag on. Game 2 of the series airs tonight at 7 PM on Fox, as the Indians lead the series 1-0. The full list of games is located here.
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Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.
Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.
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Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.
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US reviews Columbia University contracts, grants over antisemitism allegations
The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.
Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.
The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.
"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.
The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.
"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."
The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.
Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.
College protests
Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.
Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.
During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.
While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.
A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.
Canada’s immigration overhaul signals global shift in student migration
From Europe to North America, nations are tightening their immigration policies. Now Canada, long seen as one of the world's most welcoming nations, has introduced sweeping changes affecting international students. The reforms highlight a growing global trend toward more restrictive immigration policies. Arzouma Kompaore reports from Calgary.
Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
