Anwar announces repeal of Universities and University Colleges Act, after students push for greater freedom

Anwar announces repeal of Universities and University Colleges Act, after students push for greater freedom



Instagram screengrab shows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announcing a full repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) at the 2026 PKR National Congress in Melaka on August 15, 2026.


Summary

• Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the government's decision to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) to address student demands for more liberty.
• Despite numerous amendments aimed at enhancing student freedoms, such as participating in political activities and revising disciplinary procedures, dissatisfaction persisted, leading to this move.
• The government's repeal marks a departure from previous strategies that sought to amend rather than abolish the Act, which has been a longstanding framework for public university governance in Malaysia.
• This decision highlights a significant policy shift in response to advocacy from student groups and aligns with Anwar's previous commitments to remove constraints on student and academic freedom.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 11:15 AM MYT


AYER KEROH, Aug 15 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced that the government will repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA), following continued calls from students for greater freedom.

Anwar, who is also PKR president, said the decision came after several amendments to the Act failed to address all concerns raised by university students, local media reported.


“University students feel that they should be free. We have given them greater freedom through amendments to the UUCA (previously), but there are still some who are dissatisfied, and they have submitted a memorandum,” he said in his policy speech at the 2026 PKR National Congress at the Melaka International Trade Centre here.


“So today, I want to announce that we will repeal the Act.”


The announcement marks a significant shift from the government’s previous approach of amending UUCA to give students greater freedom while retaining the law as the framework for public university governance.


UUCA has been amended several times since it was introduced in 1971, including changes in 2012 that allowed students to participate in political party activities outside campus.

The latest amendments, passed in 2024, included changes to student disciplinary procedures and financial management, including allowing student representative councils and student bodies to collect money and receive contributions subject to prevailing laws and regulations.


In 2023, Anwar had said sections of UUCA restricting the freedom of students and academics would be repealed, while the Higher Education Ministry said at the time that it intended to retain the Act but amend it to give students greater freedom in political activities.

The 2024 amendments also shifted disciplinary decisions involving public university students from the vice-chancellor to Student Disciplinary Committees through amendments to Section 16B.

The amendments further revised Section 15A to allow student representative councils and student bodies to raise funds and receive contributions, subject to applicable written laws and regulations.

UUCA, enacted in 1971, provides the legal framework for the governance and administration of public universities in Malaysia.

Student groups have for years called for the Act to be repealed, particularly provisions they say restrict student participation in politics and public affairs, with Anwar himself previously pledging to remove sections that limited student and academic freedom.

The government’s 2024 amendments had instead focused on improving university governance, student activities and disciplinary procedures while retaining UUCA as the governing framework.

Israeli strike kills seven in south Lebanon as attacks intensify

It was deadliest Israeli attack in Lebanon since agreements reached in June led to a significant reduction in hostilities.

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A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke from the site of Israeli strikes on the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge on August 14, 2026 [AFP]

By Al Jazeera Staff

Published On 15 Aug 202615 Aug 2026

An Israeli air strike has killed seven people and wounded three in southern Lebanon, according to state media, as Israel intensified attacks across several towns and villages overnight.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said the strike hit a house on the outskirts of Ansar, in the Nabatieh district, early on Saturday, destroying the building.

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Emergency teams from the Islamic Message Scout Association, the Islamic Health Authority and Lebanon’s Civil Defence were working to remove rubble and transfer the dead and wounded to hospitals in Nabatieh, the agency said.

It was the deadliest reported Israeli attack in Lebanon since agreements reached in June led to a significant reduction in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

Strikes across southern Lebanon

NNA said Israeli attacks intensified early on Saturday, with a series of air strikes on the Ali al-Taher Ridge near Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

Two other strikes hit areas near the teachers’ training centre and the Husseini club in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while the valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh was also hit in what the agency described as the first strike to reach this far into southern Lebanon since the ceasefire two months ago.

Closer to the border, Israeli forces destroyed several homes in Bint Jbeil and opened heavy machinegun fire towards houses along the Kounine-Saf al-Hawa road, according to NNA.

An Israeli air attack also hit the al-Mashaa neighbourhood in al-Mansouri shortly before midnight.

Violence has decreased since a United States-Iran memorandum of understanding in June and a subsequent US-sponsored framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, but Israeli attacks and demolitions have continued in the south.

The framework calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon.

On Friday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticised the Lebanese authorities over the implementation of the framework, accusing them of pressuring the army while Israeli attacks continued.

“How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?” he said.

Israeli forces storm wedding hall in occupied West Bank

 

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Moment Israeli forces storm wedding hall in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces stormed a wedding hall in al-Eizariya town in the occupied West Bank and assaulted Palestinian attendees, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA. Video shows the raid unfolding as music continues to play inside the hall.

Published On 15 Aug 202615 Aug 2026

PKFZ chairman says Chinese-linked cargo presence alone isn’t evidence of trade fraud, after US report flagging Malaysia

PKFZ chairman says Chinese-linked cargo presence alone isn’t evidence of trade fraud, after US report flagging Malaysia



PKFZ says the presence of Chinese-linked businesses or cargo at the free zone should not, in itself, be taken as evidence of evading US tariffs. — Picture by Firdaus Latif


Summary

• The Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) has refuted claims that the presence of Chinese-linked businesses at its facility signifies tariff evasion, following a U.S. report identifying Malaysia among economies at risk of illegal transshipment.
• PKFZ chairman Lim Lip Eng emphasized compliance with Malaysian laws, stating that all involved parties undergo rigorous screening and due diligence processes.
• While Malaysia was noted in the report for having significant trade volumes linked to China, it also highlighted that not all such activities are illicit.
• The U.S. is developing AI tools to better identify and prevent illegal transshipment.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 9:57 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) today rejected any suggestion that the presence of Chinese-linked businesses or cargo at its facility is evidence of tariff evasion, following a new US report that places Malaysia among economies facing elevated risks of illegal transshipment.

PKFZ chairman Lim Lip Eng said the free zone operated within a regulated customs and trade compliance framework and did not facilitate or endorse false declarations, misrepresentation of origin or circumvention of international trade measures.


“Therefore, the presence of Chinese-linked businesses or international cargo within a Malaysian free zone should not, in itself, be interpreted as evidence of tariff evasion or illegal transshipment,” he said in a statement.


Lim said all investors, manufacturers, traders and logistics operators seeking to establish operations at PKFZ were subject to screening, due diligence and regulatory requirements under Malaysian law and free-zone regulations.


He said matters involving the origin of goods and export certification were handled by the relevant national authorities rather than PKFZ.


For US-bound exports, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) has been the sole issuer of Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin since May 6 last year with the certification process requiring supporting documents including cost analyses, statutory declarations, manufacturing information and raw-material records.

“PKFZ also welcomes greater scrutiny and stronger enforcement against genuine cases of trade fraud,” Lim said.


He added that a transparent and properly regulated trading environment would protect legitimate investors and strengthen Malaysia’s position as a regional logistics and manufacturing hub.

He said PKFZ would cooperate with Miti, Customs and other relevant authorities if there were regulatory concerns or indications of non-compliance.

Lim’s remarks come after a US report, titled The Great Transshipment Scam, examines the rerouting of goods through third countries to avoid higher US tariffs, particularly involving Chinese-origin goods, and outlines measures Washington is taking to detect and penalise such practices.

The report by the US Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy identified more than 40 economies as being associated with elevated illegal transshipment risk, with Malaysia placed in its second tier alongside Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Türkiye and Vietnam.

The report said Tier 2 economies had significant trade volumes involving China-linked goods and deeper integration with Chinese supply chains, manufacturing platforms and logistics networks, while stressing that the trade flows also included legitimate activity.

It said the US had seen a shift in import sourcing since tariffs on Chinese goods were introduced in 2018, with China’s direct share of US goods imports declining while the combined share supplied by the identified transshipment-risk economies increased.

However, the report acknowledged that the shift did not establish that all displaced Chinese trade had been illegally transshipped, noting that some reflected legitimate changes in production, investment and sourcing.

The report estimated a central annual illegal transshipment flow of about US$75 billion (RM306.44 billion), with associated US federal revenue losses estimated at US$19 billion to US$26 billion (RM77.63 billion to RM106.23 billion), although it stressed that the figures were model-based estimates rather than observed losses.

The US administration said it was developing an AI-enabled “Detective Border” system to help Customs and Border Protection analyse shipment data, routing histories, product classifications, ownership links and other indicators to identify high-risk shipments and distinguish legitimate foreign investment from illegal pass-through trade.

Penang Pakatan’s decision to stay with BN had component parties’ consensus, says Chow Kon Yeow

Penang Pakatan’s decision to stay with BN had component parties’ consensus, says Chow Kon Yeow



Penang PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow reportedly said the coalition’s decision to continue cooperating with BN was reached by consensus among all its component parties, including DAP. — Picture by Opalyn Mok


Summary

• Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) has unanimously decided to continue its collaboration with Barisan Nasional (BN) after reaching a consensus among its component parties, including DAP, as confirmed by state PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow.
• During a Leadership Council meeting, DAP, PKR, and Amanah presented their positions, which supported the ongoing partnership.
• Despite DAP adviser's interest in reassessing party support for Umno's involvement, the current consensus remains, as communicated by DAP chairman Steven Sim and other party leaders.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 1:42 PM MYT


BUTTERWORTH, Aug 15 — Penang Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) decision to maintain its cooperation with Barisan Nasional (BN) was reached by consensus among all its component parties, including DAP, state PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow reportedly said today.

According to Berita Harian, Chow said the respective positions of DAP, PKR and Amanah had been presented before the state PH Leadership Council endorsed the continued partnership.


“This was a decision of the PH Leadership Council, which I chair, and after hearing the views of every party, the council reached a consensus in line with their respective positions,” he was quoted as saying after an event at the Seberang Jaya Public Market here.

He was responding to DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng’s proposal for another meeting of Penang DAP delegates to gauge their position on the state PH leadership’s support for Umno’s role in the state government.


Chow said he could not comment on whether DAP had held an internal meeting on the matter because he was not a member of its state committee, but added that Penang DAP chairman Steven Sim had conveyed the party’s position to PH.


He said Sim, Penang Amanah chairman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil and state PKR Leadership Council chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid had expressed the same position, leading PH to retain the cooperation.

***

Guanee, stop harassing, heckling and bullying Kon Yew😂😂😂

MACC detains seven in Tabung Haji RCI probe, including senior executives and shipping company CEO

MACC detains seven in Tabung Haji RCI probe, including senior executives and shipping company CEO



The MACC detained seven people, including a shipping company CEO and four former Tabung Haji senior executives, in its probe into the institution’s RCI findings. — Picture by Choo Choy May


Summary

• The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained seven individuals following the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Tabung Haji (TH).
• Among those arrested are a shipping company CEO and a construction company director, both with the title 'Datuk', suspected of document falsification and deceptive investment schemes.
• Additionally, four former TH senior executives are accused of corrupt practices regarding a hotel lease in Saudi Arabia.
• While two suspects are remanded, the others were released on bail due to health reasons, as the investigation continues under Sections 18 and 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.

First Published: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 2:03 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained seven people as part of its investigation into the findings of the RCI report on Tabung Haji (TH).

According to sources, the suspects, comprising a chief executive officer, a former director, a director and four former TH senior executives, were arrested separately between 3pm and 10.30pm last night at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.


“The first suspect, a shipping company CEO with a ‘Datuk’ title in his 60s, was arrested on suspicion of submitting documents with false details when making payments to TH. It involved falsifying a petroleum company contract to benefit his own firm.


“The second suspect is a construction company director with a ‘Datuk’ title, also in his 60s. He is suspected of deceiving TH officers into investing in a construction company with a promise that the firm had potential to be listed on Bursa Malaysia,” the source said.


The third suspect, a former company director with a ‘Datuk Seri’ title in his 60s, was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the same matter as the second suspect, the source added.


Meanwhile, four former senior TH management members, aged between 50 and 60, including one with a “Datuk Seri” title and a woman, were arrested on suspicion of being involved in corrupt practices leading TH into a hotel lease with a company in Saudi Arabia worth SR2.49 billion, resulting in losses to the pilgrimage fund.

Sources said only the shipping company CEO and construction company director were remanded, while the other five suspects were released on MACC bail for health reasons.


Magistrate Ahmad Afiq Hasan issued a five-day remand order until August 19 for both suspects after allowing MACC’s application at the Putrajaya Magistrates’ Court this morning.

MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman confirmed the arrests when contacted, and said the case is being investigated under Sections 18 and 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009. — Bernama

***

Tangkap, lokup, pancung 😂😂😂👍👍👍

Is the US ready for President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

Is the US ready for President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

David Smith in Washington

Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images


The New York congresswoman’s power is in the spotlight as people wonder if the stars are finally aligning for her to run for US president in 2028
Sat 15 Aug 2026 15.00 AEST
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“They assume that my ambition is positional. They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.”


The words were delivered slowly, deliberately and with some steeliness by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her audience, crammed into the pews of Rockefeller Memorial chapel at the University of Chicago, burst into spontaneous applause. That was in May. In the three months since, the speculation around Ocasio-Cortez’s ambitions – for herself and for America – has only grown louder.

Friends and foes alike wonder if the stars are aligning for the New York congresswoman to run for US president in 2028. They point to voters raging against the machine – including the ageing Democratic party establishment – and hungry for change. They note how progressives pushing for economic justice and universal healthcare have won a string of impressive victories in mayoral elections and congressional primaries over the past year.


Then there are the opinion polls. Last month a Granite State Poll from the University of New Hampshire found Ocasio-Cortez leading a potential Democratic field in that crucial state. She has the kind of name recognition that money can’t buy, nearly 10m followers on Instagram alone and fans ranging from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives.

As Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden showed, presidential elections have a habit of finding the right person at the right time in the right place. Ocasio-Cortez, a 36-year-old with a progressive agenda and can’t-be-taught social media smarts, could meet the moment for a nation eager for a fresh start after a decade of Trumpism.

If modern politics is about pendulum swings, it is hard to imagine anyone who better personifies a rebuke of the octogenarian Trump and his nativist “Make America great again” (Maga) movement. This week a Zogby Strategies national poll found that a generic democratic socialist candidate leads generic Maga candidate 45% to 33%.

Ashik Siddique, a co-chair of the DSA, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a member, said: “If she were to throw her hat in the ring, there would be a lot of excitement for it from members of Democratic Socialists of America. We definitely want to see a strong working class voice in the 2028 presidential primary.”

Ocasio-Cortez has not ruled out a run for president and her actions have done nothing to quell the notion of a campaign in stealth mode. Last year she joined her mentor, the independent senator Bernie Sanders, on a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour that drew huge crowds. More recently she has crisscrossed the country to support progressive candidates, further enhancing her national profile.

In the past week alone she made two moves that intensified political pundits’ chatter. First Ocasio-Cortez used Instagram to announce that she is freezing her eggs, a decision she described as a move to “feel more in control of my life”. She acknowledged the “political risk” in sharing personal family planning details but stated her goal is to normalise conversations about the professional and personal challenges women face. The internet quickly became awash in speculation that Ocasio-Cortez ended her relationship with and engagement to long-time partner Riley Roberts , driven by reports from Puck News and others noting she had long since stopped appearing with him in public and mentioning his name.

Then, when asked by ABC interviewer Jonathan Karl about the cultural battles of the 2020 pandemic era – including calls from some on the left to defund the police – she laughed and, quoting a New York city council ally, remarked: “Woke One was crazy” – apparently trying to draw a strategic line between hard-fought struggles for racial justice and the performative excesses of lockdown isolation that became an easy target for the right.

Unlike many would-be presidents of the time, Ocasio-Cortez does not appear to be driven by personal ego, according to those who knew her, which may prove to be her political superpower. She was a volunteer organiser for Sanders’ 2016 campaign, his first presidential run and one that built a national movement around his vision of democratic socialism, even as he lost to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Ocasio-Cortez during her victory celebration New York City in 2018. Photograph: Rick Loomis/Getty Images


When she decided to run for office herself, the former bartender and waitress had virtually no money but was assisted by progressive organisations such as Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats. In 2018 she beat 10-term incumbent congressman Joe Crowley, a member of the Democratic leadership and potential future speaker, in a New York primary.

Corbin Trent, her first communications director in the House of Representatives and the co-founder of Justice Democrats, was there on the night she ousted Crowley. He recalls that the political industrial complex began trying to map her career path before the ink on the ballots was even dry.

“Primary night, she beats Joe Crowley,” he recalled. “I get phone calls from elected officials and other people and their question is, what’s next? What’s the pathway here? What’s she going to run for? What higher office would she seek? This is literally a few hours after the polls close in the primary. That’s the way DC thinks. Not, hey, what can we do with Medicare for all or this or that or any of the other things?”

As Ocasio-Cortez’s national profile exploded – bringing in $15m in her first electoral cycle and attracting unprecedented demands from foreign heads of state – Trent tried to lay out a long-term strategic map. He suggested upstate New York events to prepare for a statewide Senate run. But she resisted the logic of political careerism.

“To my chagrin and frustration that never was a way in which she could plan or operate. She did not have an idea in her head of this ultimate prize of president or governor or senator.”

Instead, Trent argues, her appeal lies in a rare authenticity – an ability to validate the deep-seated economic anxiety of Americans. “Alexandria has two things going for her. She’s genuinely curious about other people. It’s not like she has to pretend to be. I’ve had politicians ask me, ‘How can I be more genuine?’ Well, that’s probably not going to help if you have to fucking ask me that.

“Two, she is genuinely open about herself. Some people believe that nobody cares what they think or who they are and then other people don’t want you to know who they are. She doesn’t suffer from either of those failings.”

Other observers agree that Ocasio-Cortez has that X factor missing from so many professional politicians: relatability. Chris Scott, a political strategist who served as the coalition director for Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, said: “When you talk about AOC’s humble beginnings being a bartender that’s a lived experience story that resonates, especially with millennials, with their upbringing.

“What you are starting to see – whether it’s conservative or progressive - is people are leaning more and more towards candidates with lived experience that they feel they relate to as politics gets more polarising.”

That said, Ocasio-Cortez has now been in Washington long enough to draw accusations of going from outsider to insider. The activist who critiqued the establishment and championed the Green New Deal has spent recent years working closely with Democratic leadership. This week she received warm praise from Pelosi, who told a Politico summit in Sacramento, California: “I think that she has been so operational, and it’s just wonderful. I know it’s a joy to work with her.”

The transition has caused some on the far left to wonder if the system has simply co-opted its most dangerous critic. Cenk Uygur, a controversial political commentator and co-founder of the online progressive news show The Young Turks, watches Ocasio-Cortez’s recent evolution with a mixture of policy agreement and tactical despair.

Ocasio-Cortez has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide” and last month voted to block US military aid to the country. But Uygur has not forgotten her high-profile appearance at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she delivered a rousing speech praising vice-president Harris’s efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza — a claim that many leftwing activists viewed as a dishonest whitewashing of the administration’s complicity in the conflict.

Ocasio-Cortez speaks during the Democratic national convention in August 2024. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images


“Why did she basically fib on Kamala Harris’s behalf during the DNC and pretend that Kamala Harris cared about Palestinians and was trying to keep the Israelis in check?” he said. “Because she secretly loves Israel? No, it’s because she wanted to prove to mommy and daddy that she’s a good girl. If you’re a good girl you support Kamala Harris and, if you need to, you fudge her record.

“Then you go tell Jonathan Karl that your side is ‘crazy’ and you changed and you can’t explain what you changed into or how you changed or why you changed. But the message is super clear both for the establishment and progressives: ‘I’m not going to challenge the system so establishment, you can rest easy, I’m not a threat.’ And they have rested easy. That’s why she’s getting enormously positive coverage.”

The 2028 Democratic presidential primary election is expected to be crowded and noisy. If Ocasio-Cortez runs, she might face challenges from fellow progressive Congressman Ro Khanna of California along with heavyweights including Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom and Jon Ossoff. Some Democrats, scarred by Clinton and Harris’s defeats in 2016 and 2024, might be reluctant to nominate Ocasio-Cortez out of perceived expediency if they believe the US is still not ready to elect its first female president, a fear expressed by former first lady Michelle Obama among others.

The congresswoman faces another potentially formidable hurdle. Centrist Democrats have long argued that the democratic socialist wing of the party might succeed with white, college-educated voters but struggles to connect with African American communities, pointing to primary races where progressive insurgents have hit a wall. That could prove decisive in an early primary state such as South Carolina.

Nina Turner, a national co-chair of Sanders’ 2020 campaign, who has just been travelling in South Carolina, said: “There are some rumblings in some segments of the Black community that DSA and progressives in general are not doing what it takes to court Black voters and in some ways are leaving us behind for other people who are of colour but not Black.

“That’s real and so DSA as well as progressives are going to have to do something to say, no, we understand the Black plight and we understand that the survival of working-class people comes through Black liberation. They have not done a good job of doing that. I’m hoping that they will.”

Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist in South Carolina, suggests that Ocasio-Cortez’s national viability depends on her remaining a disciplined team player who addresses universal, kitchen-table concerns. He said: “I would love her to run as far away as she can from being any sort of liability in places where we know we have to win in November where we’ve lost before because people have been used as a weapon of mass political destruction and distraction.

“If she continues to talk about health care in such a way that is accessible and affordable for all Americans without burning down the system, but making some alterations to the system, she will be a positive voice to the conversation.”

If she runs, Ocasio-Cortez can also expect a crude onslaught from Republicans and a rightwing media machine that has spent years demonising her as a radical communist who threatens the essence of America. Her “Woke One was crazy,” comment has been seen as an attempt to assuage the concern.

Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill, said: “That was a very interesting strategic decision to do that and that’s her way of trying to moderate. But she’s palling around with Bernie Sanders and hasn’t completely, as far as I’m aware, repudiated [the influencer] Hasan Piker and some of those leftwing folks. People are not going to forget that and, in this day and age of the internet, it lives forever.”

Setmayer, cofounder of the Seneca Project, a women-led, bipartisan political super political action committee, argues that, instead of campaigning for the White House, Ocasio-Cortez could seek to cement her legislative power by challenging Chuck Schumer for his New York Senate seat.

“If I were advising her, given the failures, unfortunately, of women candidates for the Democrats over the last two election cycles, it would behoove her to run for Senate,” Setmayer said. “She’s almost guaranteed to win that Senate seat.

Ocasio Cortez outsie the US Capitol in January 2023. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images


“It would provide her more gravitas and she’s young enough that she could do a term or two – or a term and a half like Barack Obama – and then run for president. I don’t think that she can go from being a congresswoman to a serious presidential candidate without some time in the Senate.”

History, however, is littered with examples of White House aspirants who waited their turn and missed their moment. There are others, such as Obama, who said “carpe diem” and rode a wave all the way into the Oval Office.

Ocasio-Cortez, who would beat Theodore Roosevelt and John F Kennedy to become the youngest US president in history, has said her ambition is way bigger than that. The calling to change America may prove irresistible.

Kurt Bardella, a political commentator and former congressional aide, said: “When you look at the current trajectory of the Democratic party, she is the natural successor to the Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren coalition. She is one of the most gifted communicators in all of politics.

“She is someone who engenders a tremendous amount of passion, either for or against. She does possess the unique quality of: people give a shit. She’s got a lot more going for her than most people. She never has to worry about standing out. The attention vacuum that we live in, and the way that content works, she is in a league of her own.”

Hounded to death (literally), a black professor at Cambridge

 

Jason Arday, professor at centre of Cambridge plagiarism row, found dead

Academic was pronounced dead at his home in south London after police called to address after 3pm on Friday

Jason Arday was appointed as professor of sociology of education at Cambridge in 2023, and was the university’s youngest black professor. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian

Richard Adams and Vikram Dodd

Sat 15 Aug 2026 08.10 AEST

Jason Arday, the academic who resigned last week as a professor at the University of Cambridge, has been found dead at his home in south London.

The Metropolitan police said officers were called to Arday’s address by the London ambulance service after 3pm on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Met said: “A 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s central south command unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

The body was believed to be that of Arday. At this stage, police are understood not to believe anyone else was involved in the death.

London ambulance service was the first emergency service at the scene. The person discovered inside the home was found unresponsive.

Arday’s family said in a statement: “Jason was subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse for more than three years since he accepted the role of professor at Cambridge University by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him.

“The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone.

“We are in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.

“We won’t comment further at this point beyond asking the press to leave us alone now, and to stop the campaign of harassment which has been waged against Jason and his family for too long.”

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m devastated for the family and friends of Jason Arday. He faced an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse. I know many Londoners will be angry and upset this evening.

“Jason Arday was the victim of a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn’t have faced. His death was a tragedy, but once again it should be a wake-up call for all of us.”

Arday was appointed professor of sociology of education at Cambridge in 2023, and was the university’s youngest-ever black professor. But he resigned last week after accusations of plagiarism and inconsistencies in statements about his career and achievements.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Arday said: “It is with profound sadness that I write to resign, with immediate effect, from my position at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College.

“When I accepted the extraordinary honour of becoming professor of sociology at Cambridge, it was, without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life.”

Arday said he had been driven to resign because the “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love”.

Prof Deborah Prentice, Cambridge’s vice-chancellor, said in a statement: “We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Durham University, where Arday worked between 2019 and 2021, said: “We are shocked and terribly sad to learn of the death of Jason Arday.

“He is remembered at Durham as a kind and warm person who actively sought to promote opportunities for PhD students. We want to express our deepest sympathy to his family who are in our thoughts.”

Arday’s rise to a prestigious professorial chair was remarkable. Arday said he had been nonverbal until the age of 11, requiring extensive speech and language therapy, as well as being illiterate until 18.

That life story contributed to him being made a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics flame.

After leaving school, Arday went on to further study before completing a doctorate in education at Liverpool John Moores University in 2015. That was followed by a string of academic posts culminating in a professorship at the University of Glasgow and a professorial chair at Cambridge.

Arday was initially accused of plagiarising another academic’s work for his PhD thesis. But he denied the accusations, and an investigation by Liverpool John Moores University earlier this year upheld its decision to award him a PhD.

But other elements of his life story were increasingly questioned, including claims of prodigious money-raising for charity and feats of long-distance running.

He was also challenged about whether he was nonverbal as a child.

However those claims meant little in the world of academia. After initially defending Arday as the victim of a smear campaign, as further questions arose about his academic career, the university began to temper its support.

On 5 August Cambridge announced it would hold an internal inquiry after it said it received “new information” about his academic qualifications and honorary appointments, as well as what it described as “a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct”. Jesus College, of which he was a member, said it would also hold an inquiry.

But while Cambridge said Arday would remain in post and continue to receive support, Arday immediately announced his resignation.

At the end of last week Glasgow University said it would also investigate Arday’s academic credentials.

The controversy has stirred considerable anger within Cambridge’s academic community, both between Arday’s supporters and those who said the university had erred in appointing him to such a prestigious position.

After resisting calls from senior staff for an independent inquiry, earlier this week Prentice backed down, saying she recognised the “anger and anxiety around this damaging and difficult case”.

She described it as an aberration that should not be used to cast aspersions on the abilities of its staff of colour.

Arday’s memoir, entitled Great and Unfortunate Things, was published this week in the US by an imprint of Simon & Schuster, with UK publication scheduled for later this month. Simon & Schuster has been contacted for comment.