Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg jumped into the fight over Harvard University’s future on Friday, the latest prominent business leader to do so at a moment of turmoil for the elite university.
Washington
Mark Zuckerberg joins struggle over Harvard’s future
Lessin has said his candidacy is about restoring excellence to a university that he believes has lost its way. He has accused the previous administration of failing to respond to rising antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Gaza war.
During Friday’s event, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan stayed away from hot-button topics such as race and the ouster earlier this month of Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black president. But their presence at an event backing a candidate who criticized Gay and Harvard’s handling of campus speech issues shows how wealthy donors are increasingly willing to use their clout to shape the school. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a Harvard donor who led the charge to oust Gay, has proposed his own slate of candidates for the Board of Overseers.
“Harvard has the unique ability to shape the whole field of higher education, which is obviously important to training whole generations of people,” Zuckerberg said. “Sam is the type of person I would want to be involved in governing Harvard.”
Lessin, Ackman and others are part of a cohort of business leaders who say they’re concerned about the politicization of campus life, diversity initiatives that they say have gone too far, and what they call a double standard around free speech — claiming that antisemitic speech was not condemned strongly enough, especially compared with the school’s response to other events such as the killing of George Floyd. These concerns, along with allegations of plagiarism, led to Gay’s ouster after just a few months in office.
Amid campus tensions that arose amid the Israel-Gaza war, some students, alumni, donors and others — including Lessin — thought her responses were too late and too tepid.
The situation worsened in December when a U.S. House committee grilled Gay, along with the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, over antisemitism on their campuses. In tense exchanges with lawmakers, Gay and the other presidents, repeatedly declined to say that calling for the genocide of Jews on campus would violate the school’s policies.
Gay’s answers were viewed by many as unfeeling and tone-deaf, and although she later apologized, political leaders, major donors and others called for her resignation.
Allegations of plagiarism in her scholarly work surfaced and were amplified by her critics, and in early January, she resigned.
The school’s provost and chief academic officer, Alan M. Garber, was named interim president.
Some alumni, politicians and others also posted scathing remarks on social media about the highly opaque Harvard Corporation — the university’s most powerful governing board, which is formally named the President and Fellows of Harvard College — its selection of Gay and handling of the recent controversies. Some called for the Corporation’s senior fellow, Penny Pritzker, to resign. And some alumni launched campaigns for a seat on another university governing body, the Board of Overseers.
Ackman is also backing his own slate of candidates for the board of overseers.
Lessin is aiming to get 3,300 write-in nominations from Harvard alumni for the 2024 Spring Overseers ballot by Jan. 31.
Beirut, Lebanon – On Tuesday, representatives from Lebanon and Israel met at the US Department of State in Washington, DC – the first session of a two-day round of negotiations that Lebanese negotiators hope will end an invasion of their country.
The negotiations, which started at 9am local time (13:00 GMT), come as Israel’s invasion of Lebanon pushes deeper than at any point since the year 2000 and as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade attacks. Israel has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
With the war raging on, what do Lebanon and Israel have to discuss and will the talks lead to an end of the Israeli assault?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What will Israel and Lebanon discuss?
Similar to past meetings, the two sides are ostensibly looking to come to some kind of deal following fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with strong doubts it will be achieved.
Lebanon’s government is still pushing for a total ceasefire. However, as talks started, Israel was striking various parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon is also trying to get Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south, so that more than 1.2 million displaced people can return home, and so the state can resume finding a way to disarm Hezbollah and rebuild areas devastated by Israeli attacks.
Israel is meanwhile looking to get assurances that Lebanon will disarm Hezbollah, a prospect analysts say Israel knows is complicated by the continuation of its military operations and occupation of swaths of southern Lebanon. Instead, Israel appears to be trying to fuel sectarian tensions inside Lebanon, leading to chaos and internal strife.
What has happened so far?
An initial meeting took place in April between Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the United States. A second round took place in May with a larger delegation on both sides.
On Friday, a meeting took place with Lebanese and Israeli military representatives, while Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, is not involved in the meetings.
Israel claimed the two sides found common ground in that they both wanted to see Hezbollah disarmed. Some Israeli officials suggested there may soon be trade agreements and an exchange of tourists between the two countries. Lebanon, however, said it preferred to find a deal closer to the 1949 armistice agreement between the two countries.
In the last meeting, Beirut reportedly outlined the damage done by Israeli attacks since the 2024 ceasefire agreement and presented detailed maps showing homes destroyed or razed by Israel.
Is there a chance for a ceasefire?
That remains to be seen, but for now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s military would continue attacking Lebanon.
On Monday, Netanyahu announced that attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs would resume, despite a ceasefire. Apart from two targeted attacks, Israel has not struck the suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, since April.
Iran, which has attempted to include Lebanon in a wider ceasefire between themselves, on one side, and Israel and the US on the other, then intervened by threatening to attack northern Israel.
US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to stop Israel’s attacks. He announced another ceasefire, after his previous announcement of one between Israel and Lebanon on April 16, after claiming he had gotten the approval of Netanyahu and spoken to Hezbollah.
“There will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back,” Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social.
But attacks from Israel and Hezbollah are continuing.
How do Lebanese people feel about the talks?
Not everyone is on the same page.
Some Lebanese support the talks and say they are the only option the state, which has little leverage, has. Among those who believe direct talks are the best way forward are Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“There is no option other than negotiation,” Aoun said in a statement on Tuesday.
Others, however, oppose direct talks. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his allies, Hezbollah, have said indirect talks are preferred and that negotiations cannot be conducted while attacks are ongoing.
How are Iran and the US connected?
Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28, killing the country’s longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran is Hezbollah’s primary benefactor, and two days after Khamenei’s assassination, Hezbollah fired six rockets towards Israel on 2 March.
Hezbollah’s response brought a huge response from Israel, who have crossed the Litani River – the supposed buzzer zone in southern Lebanon it had created – towards the Zahrani River.
Despite a 2024 ceasefire, Israel had never stopped attacking Lebanon, while Hezbollah had only responded once in December 2024.
Iran has attempted to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal it has with the United States and Israel, who say this theatre is not part of the agreement.
Although Trump has now announced a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel twice, the invasion of southern Lebanon continues.
Are there other actors involved?
Gulf states have also intervened. Saudi Arabia has been working behind the scenes to get Lebanon’s leadership – Aoun, Salam and Berri – on the same page. Meanwhile, analysts say Saudi Arabia and Qatar engaged the Trump administration to stop an escalation in Lebanon.
The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 1 drawing
02-42-47-57-58, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 1 drawing
11
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 1 drawing
8-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Match 4 numbers from June 1 drawing
07-08-09-18
Check Match 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Hit 5 numbers from June 1 drawing
03-10-28-32-33
Check Hit 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Keno numbers from June 1 drawing
04-05-08-14-16-17-23-24-27-28-31-32-38-43-45-47-51-58-65-66
Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from June 1 drawing
05-09-10-15-21-26
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 1 drawing
02-07-35-44-57, Powerball: 25
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.
To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:
Washington Lottery Headquarters
PO Box 43050
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).
Olympia Headquarters
Everett Regional Office
Federal Way Office
Spokane Department of Imagination
Vancouver Office
Tri-Cities Regional Office
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.
A contract worker was killed by a falling tree on Monday afternoon in Washington County, officials said.
The Washington County Office of the Coroner said in a news release that the contractor was killed after the tree fell on them around 4 p.m. The worker, who was not immediately identified, was hired to cut down a tree at a residence on Lynn Portal Road in Canton Township, and it fell in an unintended direction, killing the person, the coroner said.
No other information was immediately released on Monday evening. The Greene-Washington Regional Police Department and the coroner are investigating.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
-
Kentucky58 seconds agoUK Healthcare prepares to become Kentucky’s only Level 2 special pathogen treatment center
-
Louisiana4 minutes agoHeart of Louisiana: Civilian Conservation Corps
-
Maine9 minutes agoOpinion: Owen McCarthy offers Maine Republicans real change
-
Maryland16 minutes agoMaryland Dem lawmaker runs taxpayer-funded nonprofit with audit struggles
-
Michigan19 minutes agoResidents in Taylor, Michigan, fight against possible rezoning
-
Massachusetts24 minutes agoMassachusetts high school under investigation after teachers diagnosed with breast cancer
-
Minnesota31 minutes agoMedical services in limbo for thousands of providers amid Minnesota fraud crisis
-
Mississippi34 minutes agoMississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 2, 2026
