Elite universities, under pressure for being silent or soft on antisemitism, are being forced to take tougher lines on verbal and physical violence against Jews.

• Columbia suspended two pro-Palestinian groups as official student groups through the end of the fall term yesterday.
• The university said Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) "repeatedly violated University policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation."

Why it matters: Frightened students complain that universities have done too little to support them since the Israel-Hamas war began five weeks ago. Irate megadonors contend Ivy League universities are being too timid in confronting antisemitism.

What's happening: Long-simmering tensions are erupting in violence — and shattering the sense of safety that makes colleges hubs of free discourse, AP reports.

• Jewish and Muslim students are witnessing acts of hate, leaving many fearing for their safety even as they walk to class.

Zoom in: In addition to Columbia's action, two other Ivies, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, this week took "more direct action" against antisemitism after their initial responses were condemned as weak, as The New York Times put it.

In Massachusetts, Brandeis University banned a pro-Palestinian student group over social media posts that defended Hamas.

• At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, president Sally Kornbluth sent a letter to students reminding them of "the boundaries for protest on our campus" after a pro-Palestinian demonstration "became disruptive, loud and sustained through the morning hours."

Zoom out: Since the war began, antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents have been documented globally and coast to coast.

• The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center on Extremism on Oct. 25 reported a nearly 400% year-over-year increase in reports of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault.
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, this week reported an "unprecedented surge" in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias.
• The Islamic Society of Boston, which calls itself New England's largest mosque, told The Boston Globe that incidents of hate and harassment have primarily targeted students and women wearing hijabs or other head coverings.

The big picture: FBI Director Chris Wray warned in Senate testimony on Oct. 31 of a rising threat of domestic terrorism — "not just homegrown violent extremists inspired by a foreign terrorist organization, but also domestic violent extremists targeting Jewish or Muslim communities.

• "Here in the United States," he said, "our most immediate concern is that violent extremists — individuals or small groups — will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives."

Share this story.

Top Democrats are divided on whether to make abortion the central issue of the 2024 elections, with centrists warning it could undercut efforts to focus on more broadly appealing economic topics.

• Why it matters: The fear is that abortion rights — while highly motivating for the Democratic base — could deter swing voters who are more concerned about inflation, crime and immigration, Axios' Hans Nichols reports.

🔎 Zoom in: Tuesday's results in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia gave Democrats ample evidence that a solid majority of Americans — including many independents and suburban Republicans — want to preserve access to abortion.

• Abortion "should certainly be one of the issues that Democrats run on," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), but "obviously there are really important issues regarding the economy and other pocketbook issues."

The other side: "We are not going to let anyone tell us that we talk about it too much on the campaign trail. Because every time we talk about it, we win," Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) told Axios.

• Go deeper.

Doctors at Gaza's largest hospital are struggling to keep patients alive as the last generator runs out of fuel.

• Five patients, including a premature baby, have died, and patients in intensive care are at great risk as medical devices have stopped working, doctors tell AP.

Zoom out: Fighting near the northern Gaza hospital has intensified in recent days. Israel has portrayed Shifa Hospital as Hamas' main command post, saying militants had set up elaborate bunkers underneath it. Hamas and Shifa staff deny these claims.

Zoom in: Secretary of State Tony Blinken said yesterday that more should be done to protect civilian lives in Gaza.

• "Far too many Palestinians have been killed; far too many have suffered these past weeks," Blinken told reporters in New Delhi. "We want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them."

State of play: Blinken welcomed Israel's plan to hold four-hour humanitarian pauses to allow Palestinians in northern Gaza to get supplies or evacuate to the south.

• Israeli officials resisted calls for the pauses for weeks but began holding them on Thursday.

Get the latest.

The opening of the Sphere in Las Vegas coincides with the closing of "Sleep No More" in New York. Both are expensive and innovative ticketed experiences aimed largely at tourists and designed to elicit a "wow" factor.

• Why it matters: These attractions tend to lean heavily on novelty, and their shelf life can be very short, Axios' Felix Salmon writes.

The big picture: There is a long history of using cutting-edge technology to awe the general public.

• Between the lines: As David Littlejohn wrote in his WSJ review of "Peter Pan," another high-tech immersive show, "any potential for moving relationships is pretty well lost amid the mind-boggling spectacle."

Where it stands: Billions of dollars are being invested in physical and virtual spaces designed to inspire and transport individual and collective souls.

• The Las Vegas Sphere alone cost $2.3 billion; a proposed second sphere in London will likely cost at least $1 billion if it ever receives planning permission.

Read on.

U.S. soccer legends and World Cup champions Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger will play their final game today, but their legacies on and off the field will be felt for generations, Axios San Diego's Kate Murphy writes.

🖼️ The big picture: Rapinoe and Krieger both used their platforms as openly gay female athletes to advocate for equality and inspire future players.

• The U.S. women's national team secured a historic equal pay agreement last year, with players like Krieger and Rapinoe at the forefront.

👀 The stage is set for a historic 2023 National Women's Soccer League Championship as Rapinoe and the OL Reign face Krieger and NJ/NY Gotham FC at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium.

• While Rapinoe and Krieger have two World Cup medals and several other accolades, neither player (nor team) has won an NWSL Championship.

Keep reading ... Get Axios San Diego ... 30 Axios Local cities.

Less than two-thirds of Americans used any kind of digital wallet in July, and only 13% used one in the 24 hours before they were polled by Morning Consult.

• Why it matters: That's well behind most of the rest of the world. More than 90% of Chinese and Indian consumers used digital wallets in July, Axios' Felix Salmon reports.

PayPal is the most popular digital wallet, being used by 69% of Americans who use any such wallet at all.

• Share this story.

The Big Ten suspended Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh yesterday for the rest of the regular season.

• This comes in the wake of an NCAA investigation into illegal sign-stealing by the Wolverines.

⚡ Catch up quick: According to various reports, University of Michigan recruiting analyst Connor Stalions purchased tickets to the Wolverines' future opponents' games and sent informants to record staffers sending hand signals to players, The Detroit Free Press reports.

• Stalions, who resigned last week, bought tickets to some 35 games at 17 stadiums this season, per reports.

Harbaugh has not been proven to have direct knowledge of this scheme, The Free Press notes.

• Michigan filed for a temporary restraining order against the decision to suspend him yesterday in an effort for Haurbaugh to be on the sidelines for today's game against No. 9 Penn State.

🧠 Reality check: There are only three games left in the regular season, and while Harbaugh won't be allowed to be present, he can still coach at practices.

• "[N]othing really changes for Michigan other than who makes fourth-down decisions and calls timeouts," writes USA Today columnist Dan Wolken, who calls the suspension likely the "least-impactful thing" the Big Ten could've done.

The four newest inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame are NERF, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Fisher-Price Corn Popper and baseball cards, AP reports.

• Not on the list is Ken, Barbie's kind-of boyfriend who didn't make the cut after a summer of making headlines.