Harvard President Claudine Gay apologized today for failing to strongly denounce threats of antisemitic violence during widely criticized congressional testimony this week, Axios' April Rubin writes.

• Why it matters: Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania have faced intense political and financial backlash — both internal and external — in the wake of the testimony.

Gay told the Harvard Crimson that she "got caught up" in "an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures."

• Penn president Liz Magill walked back her statement Wednesday night, saying that the school's policies "need to be clarified and evaluated."
• Stanford and the University of Michigan — which weren't involved in the hearing — put out near-identical statements saying they condemn "calls for the genocide of Jews or any peoples."

🏛️ On Capitol Hill today: House Democrats are demanding answers from the three schools about antisemitism on their campuses after "unacceptable" congressional testimony this week, Axios' Andrew Solender first reported.

• Keep reading.

Axios "1 Big Thing" podcast host Niala Boodhoo — who's attending COP28 in Dubai — reports that local pollution has become the talk of the climate summit:

After five days in Dubai for the UN COP28 climate talks, my throat hurts and I can't stop coughing.

• Axios publisher Nick Johnston said his lungs felt like they were on fire. Other colleagues felt similarly — complaining of lungs hurting or heartburn.

Zoom in: At first we thought it was jet lag or allergies — then we realized it was likely from the air pollution.

• Former Vice President Al Gore, who spoke to Axios in Dubai earlier this week, said the air "was 12x higher than the WHO minimum standards for healthy air. Three days ago was 14x. Yesterday was 11x."

Keep reading.

1. ⚡ First look: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy endorsed former President Trump in an interview with CBS' Robert Costa. McCarthy said he'd serve in a Cabinet role "if I'm the best person for the job," Axios' Justin Green writes.
2. 🧬 The FDA approved the first therapy based on CRISPR gene-editing technology to address the painful effects of sickle cell disease, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim writes.
3. 💰 November's jobs report shows the labor market is flourishing with strong employment and wage growth. The U.S. economy added 199,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 3.7%. More from Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown.
4. ⚖️ A federal appeals court upheld most of the partial gag order on former President Trump in his federal 2020 election subversion case, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.

"Mr. Brightside" — which probably would've topped your iTunes wrapped — was released by The Killers 20 years ago.

• Why it matters: The breakthrough hit has become a ubiquitous millennial anthem, belted everywhere from pubs and weddings to music festivals and sports games.

The song got off to a slow start when it was released by a young Las Vegas rock band in 2003.

• It reached the Billboard Hot 100 over a year after its initial release, peaking at No. 10 in June 2005, the N.Y. Times notes.

Frontman Brandon Flowers — in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone — said he wrote the lyrics at the end of his first serious relationship.

• "Who would have thought betrayal would sound so good?" he said. "I still remember the hairs on my arm standing up when I heard our demo for the first time."

Listen to the song: Spotify ... YouTube.