Tuesday’s News & Ideas - 5/27/2025

Trump administration moves to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard
CNN: It’s the latest barb against the school as it refuses to bend to the White House’s barrage of policy demands amid a broader politically charged assault on US colleges.

Head of new Gaza aid system resigns over lack of autonomy*
The New York Times: Jake Wood quit the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, saying it was “not possible” to implement a new Israeli-backed aid system in the enclave while remaining neutral and independent.
Religion Unplugged: World Health Organization reports 57 children dead from malnutrition in Gaza

Catholics see a familiar political divide in Pope Leo XIV and his eldest brother
Religion News Service: Catholic leaders hope the pope’s relationship with his brother will help Catholics in the US learn to better love each other in spite of political differences.

A not-so-modern epidemic: What 17th-century nuns can teach us about coping with loneliness
The Conversation: Were isolated monks, nuns and hermits also lonely, as we would understand the word today?

Did humans evolve to prefer religion? Research shows many atheists intuitively favor faith
The Conversation: Many atheists consider themselves to be highly rational people who rate evidence and analytical thinking above religion, superstition and intuition.

The Spark

‘Without time, there is no flavor’: A South Korean grand master on the art of the perfect soy sauce
The Guardian: Ki Soon-do’s soy sauce has gained UNESCO heritage protection. It is recognition that is 370 years in the making, The Guardian says.

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